fair play

American  

noun

1. just and honorable treatment, action, or conduct.

   The political campaign was notably lacking in fair play.

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fair play British  

noun

1. an established standard of decency, honesty, etc

2. abidance by this standard

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fair play Idioms  

1. Conformity to established rules; upright conduct and equitable conditions. For example, The coach insists on fair play. Shakespeare used this idiom in King John (5:2): “According to the fair play of the world, let me have audience.” [Late 1500s] Also see turnabout is fair play.

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Etymology

Origin of fair play

First recorded in 1585–95

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fair play

In the end, this is a matter of fair play and adherence to accepted norms.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

Excited to see how it goes and fair play to the SFA for being bold.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Jan Morris once said that the British Empire’s truest morality, real or imagined, was the morality of fair play.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

In the world of high stakes sporting events where everything and everyone hangs in the balance on outcome and fair play, video replay is essential to getting calls right.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

I think I have always had a strong sense of justice, of fair play, of what is right and what is wrong.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

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Related Words

• civil rights
• coordination
• equal opportunity
• fairness
• identity
• impartiality
• parity
• tolerance

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