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

In many cases, the data was industry relativized so that each company could be judged against all of the others on a level playing field.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

"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

“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

It was a large world, and like the planet Middletown, its surface was covered with hundreds of identical copies of the same simulation—in this case, re-creations of the Zork playing field.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• arena
• turf