royalty
noun
roy·al·ty
ˈrȯi(-ə)l-tē 
plural royalties
1
a
: royal status or power : sovereignty
b
: a right or perquisite of a sovereign (such as a percentage paid to the crown of gold or silver taken from mines)
2
: regal character or bearing : nobility
3
a
: persons of royal lineage
b
: a person of royal rank
how to address royalties—
George Santayana
George Santayana
c
: an elite class
4
: a right of jurisdiction granted to an individual or corporation by a sovereign
5
a
: a share of the product or profit reserved by the grantor especially of an oil or mining lease
b
: a payment to an author or composer for each copy of a work sold or to an inventor for each item sold under a patent
Examples of royalty in a Sentence
It was an honor and a privilege to dine with royalty.
On our wedding day, we were treated like royalty.
Recent Examples on the Web
Photos revealed Ham peering doe-eyed and adorable, sticking out her tongue, and eating pasty-white crackers like royalty.
—Liza Lentini, SPIN, 9 July 2024
The Championships is the site where athletes, celebrities and royalty converge every year.
—Julia Teti, WWD, 5 July 2024
Festivities start at 7 p.m. with a performance by the Grant Reiff Band, and the Oakland County Fair royalty will be crowned at intermission.
—Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, 5 July 2024
The couple’s additional income was drawn from interest on investments, pensions, and a corporate entity that collects the couple’s book royalties.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 5 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for royalty 
Liza Lentini, SPIN, 9 July 2024
The Championships is the site where athletes, celebrities and royalty converge every year.
—Julia Teti, WWD, 5 July 2024
Festivities start at 7 p.m. with a performance by the Grant Reiff Band, and the Oakland County Fair royalty will be crowned at intermission.
—Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, 5 July 2024
The couple’s additional income was drawn from interest on investments, pensions, and a corporate entity that collects the couple’s book royalties.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 5 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for royalty
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'royalty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Royalty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/royalty. Accessed 14 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
royalty
noun
roy·al·ty
ˈrȯi(-ə)l-tē
plural royalties
1
: royal status or power
2
: royal character or conduct
3
: members of a royal family
4
a
: a share of a product or profit (as of a mine) claimed by the owner for allowing another to use the property
b
: a payment made to the owner of a patent or copyright for the use of it
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