fair

verb

faired; fairing; fairs

intransitive verb

of the weather : clear

transitive verb

: to join so that the external surfaces blend smoothly

Did you know?

Fair in Love and War

For many people, the word fair brings to mind the aphorism “all is fair in love and war.” We have been using some variation of this saying for quite some time, although, as with many such expressions, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when it began. As far back as 1578 John Lyly wrote “anye impietie may lawfully be committed in loue, which is lawlesse.” We do not see evidence of war juxtaposed with love until 1687, when Aphra Behn wrote “All Advantages are lawful in Love and War” in her play The Emperor of the Moon. By 1717 this had morphed into “All advantages are fair in love and war” in William Taverner’s play The Artful Husband. Finally, by 1789 we find the line used exactly as it is today in the novel The Relapse: “Tho’ this was a confounded lie, my friend, ‘all is fair in love and war’.”

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing fair

• a fair crack of the whip
• a fair hearing
• a fair shake
• all's fair in love and war
• bid fair
• county fair
• fair and square
• fair ball
• fair catch
• fair chance
• fair copy
• fair enough
• fair game
• fair-haired
• fair market value
• fair-minded
• fair play
• fair sex
• fair's fair
• fair shake
• fair share
• fair-spoken
• fair/square deal
• fair to middling
• fair to say
• fair-trade
• fair-trade agreement
• fair use
• fair wage
• fair warning
• fair-weather
• fair whack
• for fair
• fun fair
• gave him a fair shake
• get a fair shake
• it's a fair cop
• job fair
• no fair
• only fair
• play fair
• science fair
• to be fair
• trade fair
• Turnabout is fair play
• vanity fair
• world's fair

Rhymes for fair

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• care
• chair
• claire
• ere
• err
• eyre
• fare

Kids Definition

fair

1 of 3 adjective

ˈfa(ə)r 

ˈfe(ə)r

1

: attractive in appearance : beautiful

our fair city

2

a

: clean entry 1 sense 2, pure

fair sparkling water

b

: clear entry 1 sense 3, legible

make a fair copy

3

: not stormy or cloudy

fair weather

4

a

: unbiased, just

wanted fair treatment

b

: observing the rules : allowed

fair play

c

: open to lawful pursuit or attack

fair game

5

a

: promising, likely

a fair chance of winning

b

: favorable to a ship's course

a fair wind

6

: not dark

fair skin

7

: neither good nor bad

did a fair job

fairness noun

fair

2 of 3 adverb

: in a fair manner

play fair

fair

3 of 3 noun

1

: a gathering of buyers and sellers for trade

2

: an exhibition (as of farm products) usually with accompanying entertainment, amusements, and competitions

3

: a sale of articles usually for a charitable purpose

Etymology

Old English fæger "pleasing to the eye or mind"

Middle English feire "a gathering of buyers and sellers," from early French feire (same meaning), from Latin feria "weekday, fair," derived from earlier feriae (plural) "holidays"

Legal Definition

fair

adjective

1

: characterized by honesty and justice : free from self-interest, deception, injustice, or favoritism

a fair and impartial tribunal

2

: reasonable as a basis for exchange

a fair wage

a fair valuation

3

: consistent with merit or importance

fair and just compensation for the injuries

4

: conforming with established laws or standards : being in accordance with a person's rights under the law

fair judicial process

fairly adverb

fairness noun