battle royale

Also last man stand·ing

[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.

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

The “Fortnite” franchise first dabbled in the world of music in 2019 when DJ Marshmello performed a virtual concert on “Fortnite Battle Royale.”

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"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".

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Earlier this year “Fortnite” launched “Galactic Battle,” which was billed as its biggest Star Wars-themed tie-in, as well as a “Simpsons”-themed battle royale mini-season that kicked off earlier this month.

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The shooting and building game has multiple game modes, with its online battle royale its most popular feature.

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There was the part of me that was slightly skeptical seeing a logline that leaned on two of the biggest Asian-led shows ever, but the part of me that grew up on a steady diet of chanbara is excited by the idea of a battle royale with samurai — and that part has completely won out.

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