free-for-all
Americannoun
-
a fight, argument, contest, etc., open to everyone and usually without rules.
- Synonyms:
- donnybrook, melee, scrap, fracas, brawl
-
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
noun
Etymology
Origin of free-for-all
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The skies had an element of free-for-all then.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
It helps to know “a guy”—or a banker—to avoid the StubHub free-for-all.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
The top half - where the fourth-round matches are being played on Monday - is a free-for-all.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
“It’s not a free-for-all; there are still rules in place. The extra guardrails have gotten a little looser,” Cottrill said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 24, 2026
Is the internet free-for-all going to kill off the very musical endeavour most beloved of its young pirates?
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
