play the field

Idioms

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.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He has yet to play the field in a game, limited to designated hitting duties on Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2025

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

He continued to play the field during his three seasons at Duke.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2022

If not, Parcelle Wine is offering a chance to play the field: Get a subscription for three bottles of rosé each month from May through September.

From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023