- according to the rules; in a way that is considered to be acceptable and appropriate
- Come on, you two, fight fair!
- They'll respect you as long as you play fair (= behave honestly).
Word Originadverb Old English fæger ‘pleasing, attractive’, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German fagar.
Idioms
See fair in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryfair and square | fairly and squarely
- honestly and according to the rules
- We won the election fair and square.
- (British English) in a direct way that is easy to understand
- I told him fair and square to pack his bags.
- (British English) exactly in the place you were aiming for
- I hit the target fair and square.
More Like This Rhyming pairs in idiomsRhyming pairs in idioms
set fair (to do something/for something)
- (British English) having the necessary qualities or conditions to succeed
- She seems set fair to win the championship.
- Conditions were set fair for stable economic development.
you can’t say fairer (than that)
- (British English, informal) used to say that you think the offer you are making is reasonable or generous
- Look, I'll give you £100 for it. You can't say fairer than that.
Check pronunciation:
fair