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

Example Sentences

If the referees don’t enforce the rules, fair play comes down to a test of character.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

"So how they took it down and got it home, it's like fair play."

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Teams were tasked with illustrating the theme of fair play and Unwin said the sculpture she designed was "ridiculously complicated".

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

The International Olympic Committee said on Saturday it hoped for "fair play" after US Vice President JD Vance was booed at the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

But the things that held them together—trust in each other, mutual respect, humility, fair play, watching out for one another—those were also part of what America meant to all of them.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

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