battle royale

[ bat-l roi-al ]

noun

, plural battle royales, battles royale.

1. a fight, often to the death, in which more than two combatants are engaged and the victor is the last surviving participant.
2. battle royal ( def ).

adjective

1. of or relating to a genre of fiction, television show, movie, or video game that features this kind of elimination fight to the death: a battle royale movie trilogy set in a dystopian future.

   battle royale FPS games;

   a battle royale movie trilogy set in a dystopian future.

Word History and Origins

Origin of battle royale¹

First recorded in 1830–40; originally a variant spelling of battle royal ( def )

Example Sentences

Held in July 2019 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, the event was the most prestigious competition ever held for the battle royale title Fortnite.

From Digiday

Specifically, with battle royales, when you have quicker rewards and feedback loops in 15-minute cycles.

From Washington Post

Upon completion of that round, players are whisked back in time via a cutscene before deploying directly into the 1984 version of Verdansk for a round of battle royale.

From Washington Post

For example, he notes that battle royale phenomenon “Fortnite” patched in pettable dogs only a few weeks after the account tweeted about the game.

From Washington Post

If battle royale isn’t your group’s thing, Call of Duty has a traditional deathmatch option, co-op campaign missions, and a mode where players compete to collect and extract money.

From Time

It was less of a duel and more of a WWE-styled battle royale.

From The Daily Beast

But anybody looking forward to a Hudson River battle royale will be disappointed, say friends and advisers to both.

From The Daily Beast