play the field

Idioms  

1. Date more than one person; avoid an exclusive commitment. For example, All of Joe's friends are married now, but he continues to play the field. This term originated in British horseracing, where it meant “to bet on every horse in a race except the favorite.” It was transferred to other activities about 1930.

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Example Sentences

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play the field

Twins: Baldelli said Lewis wasn’t quite ready to play the field, as the DH continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 8, 2023

“I want to play the field every single day,” said Dickerson, who debuted at Nationals Park in 2013 while with the Colorado Rockies and has a 1.061 OPS in 120 career plate appearances against Washington.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 10, 2023

But Ward, injured when he slammed face-first into the wall to catch a fly ball Friday night, still feels some discomfort throwing, so he is “not able to play the field right now,” Frostad said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2022

Arroyo opted to punt twice in Fresno State territory in the second half to play the field position game, only to watch the Bulldogs drive for TDs both times.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2021

He never played in more than 104 games of Japan’s 143-game season, chiefly because he typically did not play the field on the day before or after a start.

From New York Times ● Jun. 29, 2021