playing field

noun

1
: a field for various games
especially : the part of a field officially marked off for play
2
: a set of conditions for competition
usually used in such phrases as a level playing field

Examples of playing field in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Tweed said the answer is more likely be found in the locker room and not the playing field. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Instead of a policy created to even the playing field for a people who had been systematically held back and still faced pervasive discrimination, affirmative action was cast as a program that punished white Americans by giving unfair preferential treatment to Black Americans. Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 The Christianity imported by the Portuguese brings an extra ideological dimension to the playing field. Alison Herman, Variety, 26 Feb. 2024 Fossil would barely be able to compete with Samsung if the playing field were level; but add to that Samsung's exclusive chips and Google's preferential treatment, and Fossil's watches never stood a chance. Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2024 Just a generation ago, wild fan celebrations on the playing field were much more common. David K. Li, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2024 To create a better working future for those maintaining our society’s infrastructure, leaders must find ways to balance the playing field between those who can work remotely and those who cannot. Laurie Sewell, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 With 7,000 seats plus a picturesque outfield berm, the ballpark has a recessed playing field and shaded concourse that provides an unobstructed view of the action. Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 19 Feb. 2024 These students have excelled not necessarily on the playing field but in the classroom or in other ways in their school communities. Shari Rudavsky, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'playing field.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of playing field was circa 1584

Dictionary Entries Near playing field

Cite this Entry

“Playing field.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playing%20field. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

playing field

noun
: a field for various games
especially : the part of a field marked off for play
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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