battle royal

noun

-rȯi-ˈal How to pronounce battle royal (audio)
Definition of battle royalnext
as in dispute
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions the sisters had a battle royal over whose turn it was to use the family car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of battle royal The second came when Uso won a battle royal on Raw last fall and earned the right to face CM Punk for the then-vacant World Heavyweight Championship. — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026 Another year, another round in the battle royal for streaming licenses. — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026 During the battle royal last week, Uso eliminated his brother Jimmy, who had been saving him throughout the match. — Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025 Pearce announced that a battle royal would take place later in the night. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for battle royal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for battle royal
  1. dispute
  2. altercation
  3. quarrel
  4. controversy
  5. fight
  6. disagreement
  7. argument
  8. cross fire
Noun
  • Witnesses told police the suspects got into a dispute with the victim at his car and shot him.
    — Jason Green, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • For many in Canada, the dispute raises concerns about American interference with Canada’s national identity.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of dispute
Noun
  • Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh praised Natasha Cloud after she was involved in a verbal altercation with Enes Kanter Freedom.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • According to preliminary findings, the incident stemmed from an altercation between the victim and an adult female at the scene.
    — CBS News Miami Digital Team, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of altercation
Noun
  • As the quarrel escalated, the man stabbed her multiple times all over her body in the park near Eastern Parkway and Rochester Ave.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The quarrel turned physical, and one of the three men pulled a gun and shot the victim, police said.
    — Liz Miller, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of quarrel
Noun
  • There was no controversy about this New York win, a night after Pete Alonso's deep fly ball against the Yankees was ruled foul with the game tied.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Google became embroiled in a prior controversy in February 2024 after its Gemini text-to-image tool produced portrayals of racially diverse German WW2 soldiers.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of controversy
Noun
  • Delphine Boël, 58, eventually won her legal fight and was granted the title of princess.
    — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Lopez has already expressed his ambition to face the winner of the Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn fight next, aiming for an undisputed 147-pound title.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of fight
Noun
  • Presuit demand letters aim to resolve disagreements before a lawsuit is filed.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The disagreement centers on the ultra-rich coalition that has spent more than $100 million trying to bring down Proposition 40.
    — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of disagreement
Noun
  • The people making many of these arguments have evident wealth and social privilege.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Trailing 5-1, Webb departed with two outs in the third without argument.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of argument
Noun
  • During the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, tanker ships caught in the cross fire ended up at the bottom of the Persian Gulf, which scared off potential customers.
    — Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Unfortunately, the older teens (including Louise’s nemesis, Logan) have taken over the area for snowball fights, and the younger kids get caught in the cross fire.
    — Lillian Brown, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of cross fire

Browse Nearby Words

battler
battle royal
battlers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Battle royal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/battle%20royal. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on battle royal

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about battle royal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tilde

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All