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Synonyms

playing field

American  

noun

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

playing field British  

noun

  1. a field or open space used for sport

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of playing field

First recorded in 1575–85

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.

But experts warn the playing field could become more uneven.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

“Music artists deserve to compete on a level playing field, not one distorted by bribes, and listeners deserve transparency in what they are being recommended,” Paxton said.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

That is critical, he says, as it is a surprisingly-level playing field.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Recent years have given lone inventors a new tool that could at least partly level the playing field: artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Globalization 3.0 is shrinking the world from a size small to a size tiny and flattening the playing field at the same time.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.