fair
17 ENTRIES FOUND:
fairer;
fairest
fairer;
fairest
Britannica Dictionary definition of FAIR
1
:
agreeing with what is thought to be right or acceptable
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We received fair treatment.
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fair elections
-
a fair fight
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a fair bargain/deal/trade
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I'm just trying to get a fair price for the house. [=I'm not trying to get more money for the house than most people think is right]
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That's a fair question, and it deserves an honest reply.
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The workers claim that they are not being paid fair wages. [=they are being paid less than they should be paid]
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It's only fair [=it is the right thing] to tell him the truth.
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I washed the dishes yesterday, so it's only fair (that) you to do them today.
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He gets his fair share of attention too. [=he gets a reasonable amount of attention]
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She's had more than her fair share of trouble. [=she has had a lot of trouble]
2
:
treating people in a way that does not favor some over others
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He is known as a very fair man.
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I try to be fair to/with my children.
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He claims that the competition wasn't fair.
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It's not fair that she gets to leave early and I don't.
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Sometimes life isn't fair.
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a fair and impartial jury
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a bargain/deal/trade that is fair to/for everyone
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All she wants is a fair chance. [=the same chance everyone else gets]
3
:
not too harsh or critical
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“What a bad movie!” “Be fair! Parts of it are actually pretty funny.”
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I can't say I liked the movie, but, to be fair, parts of it are pretty funny.
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She did poorly on the test, but, to be fair, so did a lot of other people.
4
a
:
not very good or very bad
:
of average or acceptable quality
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Her work has been fair to good.
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The quality of her work has been only fair.
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I think our waiter did a fair job.
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The patient has been upgraded from serious to fair condition.
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The food was fair to middling. [=just average; not especially good]
b
approving
:
reasonably good
:
good although usually not excellent
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The team has a fair [=pretty good] chance of winning the championship this year.
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He does a pretty fair [=good] imitation of the President.
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He was able to give us a fair idea of the problems involved.
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It's a fair bet that the weather will improve soon.
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“I'm guessing that he's about 50 years old.” “That's a fair guess, but he's actually almost 60.”
c
always used before a noun
:
reasonably large
— used to describe an amount or size that is not small although it is also not extremely large
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There were a fair number of new participants at the convention.
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Researchers now know a fair amount about the earliest humans.
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He lives a fair distance from here.
5
:
not stormy or cloudy
-
fair skies
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fair weather
6
of a person's hair, skin, etc.
:
having a light color
—
opposite dark
-
fair hair/skin
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a person of fair complexion
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a fair-skinned person
7
literary + old-fashioned
:
attractive or pleasing to look at
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We're happy to welcome you to our fair [=lovely] city.
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a fair maid/maiden
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Who's the fairest of them all?
8
baseball
:
in the area between the foul lines
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The ball was caught in fair territory.
◊ A fair ball is a batted ball that lands in the area between the foul lines.
—
compare foul
a fair bit
a fair shake
all's fair in love and war
— used to describe a situation in which people do not follow the usual rules of behavior and do things that are normally considered unfair
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Sure, it was underhanded to steal his customers, but all's fair in love and war.
bid fair
fair and square
:
in an honest and fair manner
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He won the election fair and square.
fair crack of the whip
fair enough
informal
— used to say that something is reasonable or fair
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“I'll wash the dishes today, and you can wash them tomorrow.” “Fair enough.”
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“He needs more time.” “Fair enough, but we can't wait too much longer.”
fair's fair
informal
— used to say that something was done or should be done because it is fair
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Fair's fair: I washed the dishes yesterday, so it's your turn to do them today.
fair to say
◊ A comment that is fair to say is reasonable and is not expected to cause argument.
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The key concept in this book, I think it is fair to say, is freedom.
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She's not entirely to blame, but it's (only) fair to say that she handled the situation badly.
fair warning
:
enough warning to be able to avoid something bad
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I'm giving you fair warning that you had better not discuss politics at dinner tonight.
it's a fair cop
— fair
adverb-
He claims that his opponent wasn't playing fair. [=wasn't playing according to the rules]
— fairness
noun [noncount]-
She questioned the fairness of the decision.
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In the interest of fairness, let's not mention any names.
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She did poorly, but in all fairness [=to be fair to her], she was tired.
2
fair
/ˈfeɚ/
noun
plural
fairs
2
fair
/ˈfeɚ/
noun
plural
fairs
Britannica Dictionary definition of FAIR
[count]
1
:
a large public event at which there are various kinds of competitions, games, rides, and entertainment
especially
US
:
such an event at which farm products and farm animals are shown and judged
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She showed her horse at the annual county/state fair.
2
:
an event at which many people gather to buy things or to get information about a product or activity
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a book fair
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a craft fair
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a job fair [=an event where employers offer information about their companies to people who are looking for jobs]
3
:
an event at which different things (such as crafts or food) are sold usually for charity
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The church is having a fair to raise money for the new school.
