fair

SayFAIR/fɛɚ/UK/fɛə/

Adjectivefairer, fairest

Noun pluralfair, fairs

30 meanings of fair

Practice

1
treating people equallyadjective
Treating everyone in an equal and right way.
Like cutting a cake so everyone gets a slice the same size.
The teacher made sure the rules were fair for every student.
They split the chores in a fair way, so no one did too much.
UsageSay fair to someone. Say it's not fair of you to do something.
Similarjust, honest, equitable
Oppositeunfair, unjust, biased, inequitable
2
nouncountable
A big public event, often once a year, where people sell things, show animals and crafts, and have fun.
Like a giant outdoor shopping day with games and food.
We saw cows, pigs and giant pumpkins at the fair.
My grandma sells her jam at the town fair every year.
3
quite largeadjective
Quite big in amount, number, size, or distance, but not huge.
It's a fair walk from the bus stop to the hotel.
She spent a fair amount of money on her new bike.
UsageSay a fair amount or a fair number: quite a lot.
Similargood, decent, considerable, sizable
Note
4
adjective
Good enough, but not great.
Like a movie you'd watch once but never again.
The food at that diner is fair, nothing special.
He did a fair job painting the fence, though he missed a few spots.
UsageIt sounds a little negative: only fair means not very good.
Similarokay
Note
5
trade shownouncountable
A big event where companies show their new products to buyers and sellers.
Like a big show-and-tell where businesses meet to make deals.
Our company showed its newest tools at the trade fair.
Buyers from many countries came to the fair to place orders.
Similarexpo, exhibition, show, exposition, convention
6
paleadjective
Light in color, especially pale skin or blond hair.
Like the pale color of cream instead of dark chocolate.
She has fair skin that burns easily in the sun.
The baby had fair hair and bright blue eyes.
UsageWe say fair hair and fair skin. The opposite is dark.
Similarpale
Oppositeswarthy
Note
7
clear weatheradjective
Of weather, dry and pleasant, with few or no clouds.
Like a bright blue sky with no clouds at all.
The day was fair and sunny, so we planned a picnic.
Sailors set out in fair weather with clear skies.
Similarclear, fine, sunny, cloudless, bright
Oppositecloudy, overcast, stormy, foul
8
adverb
In a clear, open, and honest way.
Like playing a game by the rules instead of sneaking ahead.
You have to play fair if you want others to trust you.
Mom told us to fight fair, so no hitting and no name-calling.
UsageWe say play fair and win fair and square.
Similarhonestly, squarely, straight, clean, justly
Oppositedirty, dishonestly, unfairly
Note
9
beautifuladjectiveliterary
Beautiful and lovely to look at, in a clean and fresh way.
Like a fresh flower that everyone stops to admire.
The fair maiden walked through the spring meadow.
He is so fayre, withoutten les, / he semys full well to sytt on des.
15th c., “[The Creation]”, in Wakefield Mystery Plays; Re-edited in George EnglandHere, fayre means handsome, pleasing to look at.
Similarbeautiful, pretty, lovely
Note

Less common meanings

10
rides and gamesnouncountable
A traveling set of rides and games that moves from town to town.
Like a playground full of rides that packs up and moves away.
The fair came to town with a Ferris wheel and a merry-go-round.
We rode the bumper cars at the fair all evening.
Similarcarnival
11
baseballadjective
In baseball, inside or on the lines that mark the playing field.
Like a ball that lands inside the lines on a tennis court.
The umpire ruled the ball fair, so the runners took off.
She hit a fair ball down the third-base line.
Oppositefoul
Note
12
unbiased (coin)adjective
Of a coin or dice, having an equal chance to land on each side.
Like a coin where heads and tails are equally likely.
A fair coin lands on heads about half the time.
We used a fair die so each number had an equal chance of coming up.
Similarunbiased
Oppositebiased, loaded, weighted
Note
13
adjective
Pleasant and likely to help you, not against you.
Like a gentle wind that pushes you the way you want to go.
She greeted the travelers with fair words and a warm smile.
He made fair promises, but he never kept a single one.
Similarfavorable, promising, auspicious, pleasant, kind
Oppositeunfavorable, adverse, unpromising, inauspicious
14
pureadjective
Clean, pure, and without any mark or fault.
Like fresh snow with no footprints on it.
The knight would let no bad deed stain his fair name.
He would not let gossip ruin his sister's fair name.
Similarclean, pure
Oppositetainted, sullied, blemished, foul
Note
15
clear upverbintransitive
Of weather, to become clear and calm.
Like clouds clearing away to show blue sky.
Looks like it'll fair up by tomorrow afternoon.
After days of rain, the skies finally faired.
Similarclear, brighten, improve
Oppositeworsen, deteriorate, darken
Note
16
adjective
Of a catch, made cleanly from a kick, mostly in American football after the player signals. Rugby now calls this a mark.
Like catching a ball straight out of the air before it can bounce.
The fullback made a fair catch and stopped the play.
The punt was so high that he waved his arm for a fair catch.
Note
17
noununcountable
A thing or person that is fair in some way, such as being just or beautiful.
18
almostadverbdialectal
Very nearly or very much, said to stress a point rather than meant exactly.
She was fair worn out after the long walk.
The crowd was fair bursting with excitement.
UsageIt comes just before the word it stresses: fair worn out, it fair knocked me over.
Similarquite, positively, practically
Note
19
cricketadjective
In cricket, describing a ball that is bowled correctly, not a no-ball or a wide.
The umpire judged the delivery fair and let play continue.
A fair ball must be bowled within the rules.
Similarlegal
Oppositeillegal
Note
20
sailing windadjective
Of wind or weather, helpful to a ship sailing toward where it needs to go.
Like a breeze that pushes you exactly the way you want to go.
They set sail with a fair wind behind them.
The captain waited for a fair breeze before leaving the harbor.
Similarfavorable
Oppositefoul, contrary, adverse, unfavorable
Note
21
adjective
Of a road or path, open and clear, with nothing blocking the way.
The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a fair way to have enlarged.
c. 1610, Walter Raleigh, A Discourse of War
a fair mark; in fair sight; a fair view
Similarclear, open, unobstructed, direct
Oppositeobstructed, blocked
Note
22
nounarchaiccountable
An old word for a woman, especially a beautiful woman or the woman someone loves.
I have found out a gift for my fair.
1743, William Shenstone, A Pastoral BalladHere, fair means a beautiful woman, or the woman the speaker loves.
Note
23
smooth a surfaceverbtransitive
To make the surface or shape of something smooth and even, often so air or water flows past easily.
Like rubbing a rough board until it feels smooth to touch.
The worker faired the metal panel until it felt perfectly smooth.
Carpenters fair each joint so the seams disappear.
Similarsmooth, streamline
Note
24
verbobsoletetransitive
To make something beautiful or lovely to look at.
Fairing the foul with art’s false borrow’d face
1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 127”Here, fairing means making something beautiful.
Note
25
nounobsolete
Beauty, or the quality of being lovely to look at.
Note
26
nouncountable
An event on one topic, like science or jobs, where people show projects, share information, or sign people up.
My daughter built a model volcano for the school science fair.
Nurses at the fair in the community center checked blood pressure and gave out tips on healthy eating.
UsageWe say science fair and job fair.
Similarexpo, exhibition
Note
27
adjective
Of a ship's lines or surfaces, smooth and flowing, with no sudden bends.
28
verb
To smooth out an animation so it no longer looks jerky.
29
verb
To line up parts so their holes match perfectly before joining them.
30
nounobsolete
Good luck.
Now, fair befall thee, good Petruchio!
c. 1590, William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of fair apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1, 3–4, 6–9, 11–25

From Old English fæġer, meaning "beautiful." It goes back to older Germanic words meaning "suitable" or "nice."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Fair descends from Old English fæġer, meaning beautiful. en.wiktionary.org
The word has an older Germanic ancestor meaning suitable or nice. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 2, 5, 10, 26

From Old French foire, which came from Latin fēriae.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Fair derives from Old French foire, through Middle English. en.wiktionary.org
Old French foire derives ultimately from Latin fēriae. en.wiktionary.org