fair play

noun

: equitable or impartial treatment : justice
… a country that reveres fair play both on the sports field and off …Bob Johnstone
Turnabout is fair play, of course: Gossips should get gossiped about.Andrew Ferguson

Examples of fair play in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Basically, Chelsea’s owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, sold the women’s team to themselves, and the deal helped the team comply with the EPL’s financial fair play rules. Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 1 Apr. 2026 Yet, as algorithms begin suggesting shots, the contours of fair play blur. IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2026 The new structure of the club was still taking shape, and financial fair play rules limited what Juventus could do in the summer. James Horncastle, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026 Their presence supported fair play across hundreds of matches. Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fair play

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1500, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fair play was circa 1500

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Cite this Entry

“Fair play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair%20play. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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