playing field

American  

noun

1. an expanse of level ground, as in a park or stadium, where athletic events are held.

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playing field British  

noun

1. a field or open space used for sport

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Etymology

Origin of playing field

First recorded in 1575–85

Example Sentences

"I remember Des playing a lot of games on artificial turf. It was hard for those guys. They had to fight to get into line-ups, to get a playing field, to get a stadium."

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

But we show that if you could identify it, you’d have a level playing field to compare humans, invertebrates, and computers.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026

Carney said this creates risks that foreign entities could access Canadian data, deploy AI products that shape Canadian lives and “tilt the playing field against Canadian firms.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

“I don’t ever recall a playing field that looks like this one. Usually there’s a clear front-runner,” said veteran Democratic strategist Darry Sragow.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

The playing field was clearly uneven, both figuratively and literally.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• arena
• turf