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
dined with royalty
On our wedding day, we were treated like royalty.
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
The studios have pledged a donation that a percantage of royalties of all toys and merchandise sold will go back to oceanic conservations efforts.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 28 May 2026
What are the franchise and royalty fees?
—Angelo Chavez, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
The buzziest title at Tribeca 2018 was the multiple award winner Diane, which gave character-actor royalty Mary Kay Place an all-too-rare leading role.
—Jason Bailey, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Besides being actual royalty, the late Princess of Wales was also a budding fashion icon who naturally fit in with creative types.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for royalty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Justin Kroll, Deadline, 28 May 2026
What are the franchise and royalty fees?
—Angelo Chavez, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
The buzziest title at Tribeca 2018 was the multiple award winner Diane, which gave character-actor royalty Mary Kay Place an all-too-rare leading role.
—Jason Bailey, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Besides being actual royalty, the late Princess of Wales was also a budding fashion icon who naturally fit in with creative types.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for royalty
Cite this Entry
“Royalty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/royalty. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
