fair-weather

adjective

fair-weath·​er ˈfer-ˌwe-t͟hər How to pronounce fair-weather (audio)
1
: loyal only during a time of success
a fair-weather friend
2
: suitable for or done during fair weather
a fair-weather sail

Examples of fair-weather 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.
Today, 14 years after that promise (and many subsequent ones by Elon Musk), fully autonomous vehicles remain a limited experiment, available in only a small number of fair-weather cities. Gary Marcus, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026 Ladies’ first big blowup concerns a rumor that an old fair-weather friend of Myka’s is a madam. Judy Berman, Time, 27 Mar. 2026 Currently, the drone’s fuel cell is a fair-weather flier. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Mar. 2026 Forget fair-weather friends; consider this your best cold-weather friend, all winter long. Gretta Monahan, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026 But although the president may be losing these fair-weather friends, the much-larger MAGA movement remains firmly in his corner. Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026 Rising ticket prices in the Premier League era had been squeezing out traditional fans and their seats had been taken by an upper-crust, fair-weather fanbase. Don Riddell, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025 The only way to get there is via the avalanche-prone State Route 88 between Carson Pass and the Carson Spur, which deters fair-weather visitors and keeps liftlines manageable or even non-existent. Drew Zieff, Outside, 21 Nov. 2025 Waterspouts occur as tornadic waterspouts or fair-weather waterspouts, NOAA explained. Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of fair-weather was in 1653

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fair-weather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair-weather. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.

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