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 2018, he shared documents with German magazine Der Spiegel, which used them for investigations into City's finances and alleged breaches of financial fair play rules.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Opponents and officials deserve our respect and fair play.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 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

The combination of England’s coziness—all the important people, if not related by marriage, seemed to know one another—plus the English sense of fair play would not allow Francis to move in on Maurice’s problem.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

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Related Words

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

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