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

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

FIFA’s selective moral leadership — claiming the high ground on fair play, inclusion and human rights — cannot be credible without meaningful action on gender-based violence.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 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

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