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
The Grammys officially crowned pop royalty on Sunday — specifically the Midwest Princess also known as Chappell Roan.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 2 Feb. 2025
Of course, Montour would be elevated to royalty among the Indigenous people.
—Katrina Gulliver, JSTOR Daily, 1 Feb. 2025
English lavender gets its name not from its land of origin but from the English royalty that was an early customer of its perfume.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 30 Jan. 2025
Sony Music Publishing also criticized Spotify’s royalty changes, and even considered options to challenge them.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for royalty 
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Andy Swift, TVLine, 2 Feb. 2025
Of course, Montour would be elevated to royalty among the Indigenous people.
—Katrina Gulliver, JSTOR Daily, 1 Feb. 2025
English lavender gets its name not from its land of origin but from the English royalty that was an early customer of its perfume.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 30 Jan. 2025
Sony Music Publishing also criticized Spotify’s royalty changes, and even considered options to challenge them.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for royalty
Articles Related to royalty
Dictionary Entries Near royalty
Cite this Entry
“Royalty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/royalty. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
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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