battle royale

American  

[bat-l roi-al] / ˈbæt l rɔɪˈæl /

Also last man standing

noun

• battle royales,
  plural
• battles royale
  plural

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.

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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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• battle royales
  plural
• battles royale
  plural

Etymology

Origin of battle royale

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

battle royale

"It is quite possible that he could have a battle royale with Scottie Scheffler in a month's time at the US PGA - that would be amazing," said BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

"Battlefield" challenges its rival with smaller multiplayer maps than usual and a "battle royale" mode where players eliminate each other one by one, similar to a popular mode found on "Call of Duty".

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025

And on Feb. 27, 2005, in Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre the battle royale was fought by Spain, Sweden, France, Germany and South Africa … with Spain emerging as the victor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2025

Five years later, it seems she knows more about the popular Epic Games battle royale than just how to properly spell it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2024

He truly wanted to be in his own bed right now or playing an online round of battle royale with Weslee and Steven.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young