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 2026 women’s WWE Royal Rumble is wide open, and with no obvious potential winner, this year’s 30-woman battle royal could be laiden with surprises.
—
Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 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
Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 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
Noun
-
By 2009, Cage was facing serious financial strain, including a dispute with the IRS over $6 million in unpaid taxes.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
-
The statement notably excludes Anthropic, which has been in dispute with the Pentagon over guardrails for how the military could use its artificial intelligence tools.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
At 20, he was arrested after a routine traffic stop turned into a violent altercation with police.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The altercation between Avdija and Castle put an end to a frustrating day for the Trail Blazers, who lost Game 4 by 21 points after holding a 17-point lead at halftime.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As the quarrel turned physical, the woman pushed Smith to the ground, witnesses told police.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
What followed was a benches-clearing quarrel between Miller, Sal Stewart and their respective teams, the dramatic conclusion to a two-day saga between the Giants and Reds featuring beanballs, cuss words and aggressive gesticulation.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The new controversy comes at a moment when the region is already grappling with internal divisions.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Branca's tenure, however, hasn't been without controversy.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The fight, though, kept getting delayed.—
Chang-rae Lee,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
-
While Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first Black president and a global icon – having spent 27 years in jail for his role in the fight against apartheid – his wife Winnie, who was arguably just as instrumental in that fight, has been widely maligned.—
Kate Bartlett,
NPR,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
But there were disagreements inside the administration over the wisdom of funding the bailout.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
2 May 2026
-
But some Republicans shook their heads in disagreement.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The victim told police Walton became enraged over not receiving a tip, leading to an argument.—
Stepheny Price , Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2026
-
During debate, DeSantis’s general counsel, David Axelman, argued that complying with prior court mandates risked acknowledging that race played a role in drawing districts, echoing legal arguments at the center of the Louisiana case.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
2 May 2026
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
-
Cemeteries, too, will do a land office business, not only with dead gangsters, but innocents too, caught in the cross fire.—
Walter E Block,
Orange County Register,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Battle royal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/battle%20royal. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
