free-for-all
[ free-fer-awl ]
/ ˈfri fərˌɔl /
noun
a fight, argument, contest, etc., open to everyone and usually without rules.
any competition or contested situation that is disordered, impulsive, or out of control: a free-for-all at the buffet table.
Informal. any enterprise or field of endeavor in which various companies, countries, participants, etc., compete without restriction: a price-cutting free-for-all among local stores.
adjective
open to everyone.
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Nearby words
free-cutting, free-fall, free-fire zone, free-floating, free-floating anxiety, free-for-all, free-form, free-hand, free-handed, free-hearted, free-living
Origin of free-for-all
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
SYNONYMS FOR free-for-all
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for free-for-all
British Dictionary definitions for free-for-all
free-for-all
noun
informal a disorganized brawl or argument, usually involving all those present
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for free-for-all
free-for-all
"mass brawl" (one in which all may participate), 1881.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper