free-for-all

UK: /ˈfriːfərɔːl/ US: (frē′fər ôl′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ˈfree-for-ˌall,  n. [countable]

1. a fight, argument, or contest that is open to everyone and usually without rules.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

free-for-all  (frē′fər ôl′), n. 

1. a fight, argument, contest, etc., open to everyone and usually without rules.
2. any competition or contested situation that is disordered, impulsive, or out of control:
   a free-for-all at the buffet table.
3. Informal Terms 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.

adj. 

4. open to everyone.

• 1880–85, American.

Synonyms

• 1. brawl, fracas, scrap, melee, donnybrook.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

free-for-all noun

1. a disorganized brawl or argument, usually involving all those present