play fair

Idioms  

1. Behave honestly and honorably, obey the rules, as in Not every supplier we deal with plays fair, or We can't just leave them to find their own way back—that's not playing fair. Although this idiom conjures up playing by the rules in some game or sport, it actually has been used in this figurative way since the mid-1400s. Also see play the game.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

play fair

In America, there’s a sense that too much success in business is a bad thing, and that everyone needs to play fair.

From Barron's ● May 2, 2026

Her father’s second-in-command, the handsome Jack Dean, insists family members play fair in obeying their father’s will.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2025

“Things like that just don’t play fair in our mind.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2023

The Justice Department serves them all, and its credibility rests on being perceived to play fair.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 13, 2023

Roasting the pig’s tail was such fun that it was hard to play fair, taking turns.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

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