fair (fairer comparative) (fairest superlative) (fairs plural )
1 adj Something or someone that is fair is reasonable, right, and just.
oft it v-link ADJ to-inf
It didn't seem fair to leave out her father..., Do you feel they're paying their fair share?..., Independent observers say the campaign's been very much fairer than expected..., An appeals court had ruled that they could not get a fair trial in Los Angeles.
fairly adv usu ADV after v, also ADV -ed
...demonstrating concern for employees and solving their problems quickly and fairly..., In a society where water was precious, it had to be shared fairly between individuals.
2 adj A fair amount, degree, size, or distance is quite a large amount, degree, size, or distance.
ADJ n
My neighbours across the street travel a fair amount..., My mother's brother lives a fair distance away so we don't see him and his family very often.
3 adj A fair guess or idea about something is one that is likely to be correct.
ADJ n
(=reasonable)
It's a fair guess to say that the damage will be extensive..., I have a fair idea of how difficult things can be.
4 adj If you describe someone or something as fair, you mean that they are average in standard or quality, neither very good nor very bad.
(=adequate)
Reimar had a fair command of English.
5 adj Someone who is fair, or who has fair hair, has light-coloured hair.
Both children were very like Robina, but were much fairer than she was.
Fair is also a combining form., comb in adj
...a tall, fair-haired Englishman.
6 adj Fair skin is very pale and usually burns easily.
It's important to protect my fair skin from the sun.
Fair is also a combining form., comb in adj
Fair-skinned people who spend a great deal of time in the sun have the greatest risk of skin cancer.
7 adj When the weather is fair, it is quite sunny and not raining.
FORMAL
(=fine)
Weather conditions were fair.
8 n-count A county, state, or country fair is an event where there are, for example, displays of goods and animals, and amusements, games, and competitions.
usu n N
9 n-count A fair is an event at which people display and sell goods, especially goods of a particular type.
oft n N
...an antiques fair.
→
craft fair
→
trade fair
10 You use fair enough when you want to say that a statement, decision, or action seems reasonable to a certain extent, but that perhaps there is more to be said or done.
mainly SPOKEN
fair enough phrase PHR with cl
If you don't like it, fair enough, but that's hardly a justification to attack the whole thing...
11 If you say that someone plays fair, you mean that they behave or act in a reasonable and honest way.
to play fair phrase V inflects
The government is not playing fair, one union official told me.
12 If you say that someone won a competition fair and square, you mean that they won honestly and without cheating.
fair and square phrase PHR after v There are no excuses. We were beaten fair and square.
craft fair (craft fairs plural )A craft fair is an event at which people sell goods they have made. n-count
fair game
If you say that someone is fair game, you mean that it is acceptable to criticize or attack them, usually because of the way that they behave. n-uncount
Politicians were always considered fair game by cartoonists.
fair-minded
A fair-minded person always tries to be fair and reasonable, and always listens to other people's opinions. adj oft ADJ n
She is one of the most fair-minded people I know.
fair play
If you refer to someone's attitude or behaviour as fair play, you approve of it because it shows respect and sympathy towards everyone, even towards people who are thought to be wrong or to deserve punishment. n-uncount
(approval)
...a legal system that is unmatched anywhere in the world for its justice and sense of fair play.
fair sex , fairer sex
If a man talks about the fair sex, he is referring to women in general.
OLD-FASHIONED n-sing the N
fair trade
Fair trade is the practice of buying goods directly from producers in developing countries at a fair price. n-uncount oft N n
...fair trade coffee.
fair-weather
You use fair-weather to refer to someone who offers help to someone, or who takes part in a particular activity, only when it is easy or pleasant for them to do so. adj ADJ n (disapproval)
...a fair-weather friend.
trade fair (trade fairs plural )A trade fair is an exhibition where manufacturers show their products to other people in industry and try to get business. n-count
