fair
I
 /ˈfeɚ/  adj  , fair·er, -est
  1 : agreeing with what is thought to be right or acceptable
   We received fair treatment.
   fair elections
   a fair fight
   a fair bargain/deal/trade
   I'm just trying to get a fair price for the house. [=I'm not trying to get more money for the house than most people think is right]
   That's a fair question, and it deserves an honest reply.
   The workers claim that they are not being paid fair wages. [=they are being paid less than they should be paid]
   It's only fair [=it is the right thing] to tell him the truth.
   I washed the dishes yesterday, so it's only fair (that) you to do them today.
   He gets his fair share of attention too. [=he gets a reasonable amount of attention]
   She's had more than her fair share of trouble. [=she has had a lot of trouble]
  2 : treating people in a way that does not favor some over others
   He is known as a very fair man.
   I try to be fair to/with my children.
   He claims that the competition wasn't fair.
   It's not fair that she gets to leave early and I don't.
   Sometimes life isn't fair.
   a fair and impartial jury
   a bargain/deal/trade that is fair to/for everyone
   All she wants is a fair chance. [=the same chance everyone else gets]
  3 : not too harsh or critical
   “What a bad movie!” “Be fair! Parts of it are actually pretty funny.”
   I can't say I liked the movie, but, to be fair, parts of it are pretty funny.
   She did poorly on the test, but, to be fair, so did a lot of other people.
  4 a : not very good or very bad : of average or acceptable quality
   Her work has been fair to good.
   The quality of her work has been only fair.
   I think our waiter did a fair job.
   The patient has been upgraded from serious to fair condition.
   The food was fair to middling. [=just average; not especially good]
  4 b approving : reasonably good : good although usually not excellent
   The team has a fair [=pretty good] chance of winning the championship this year.
   He does a pretty fair [=good] imitation of the President.
   He was able to give us a fair idea of the problems involved.
   It's a fair bet that the weather will improve soon.
   “I'm guessing that he's about 50 years old.” “That's a fair guess, but he's actually almost 60.”
  4 c always used before a noun : reasonably large
  — used to describe an amount or size that is not small although it is also not extremely large
   There were a fair number of new participants at the convention.
   Researchers now know a fair amount about the earliest humans.
   He lives a fair distance from here.
  5 : not stormy or cloudy
   fair skies
   fair weather
  6 of a person's hair, skin, etc. : having a light color
   fair hair/skin
   a person of fair complexion
   a fair-skinned person
  — opposite dark
  7 literary + old-fashioned : attractive or pleasing to look at
   We're happy to welcome you to our fair [=lovely] city.
   a fair maid/maiden
   Who's the fairest of them all?
  8 baseball : in the area between the foul lines
   The ball was caught in fair territory.
  ◇ A fair ball is a batted ball that lands in the area between the foul lines. — compare foul
  a fair bit — see bit, 1
  a fair shake — see shake, 2
  all's fair in love and war
    — used to describe a situation in which people do not follow the usual rules of behavior and do things that are normally considered unfair
    Sure, it was underhanded to steal his customers, but all's fair in love and war.
   
  bid fair — see bid, 1
  fair and square
   : in an honest and fair manner
    He won the election fair and square.
  fair crack of the whip — see crack, 2
  fair enough
    informal  
    — used to say that something is reasonable or fair
    “I'll wash the dishes today, and you can wash them tomorrow.” “Fair enough.”
    “He needs more time.” “Fair enough, but we can't wait too much longer.”
   
  fair's fair
    informal  
    — used to say that something was done or should be done because it is fair
    Fair's fair: I washed the dishes yesterday, so it's your turn to do them today.
   
  fair to say
   ◇ A comment that is fair to say is reasonable and is not expected to cause argument.
    The key concept in this book, I think it is fair to say, is freedom.
    She's not entirely to blame, but it's (only) fair to say that she handled the situation badly.
   
  fair warning
   : enough warning to be able to avoid something bad
    I'm giving you fair warning that you had better not discuss politics at dinner tonight.
  it's a fair cop — see cop, 1
  fair  adv  
   He claims that his opponent wasn't playing fair. [=wasn't playing according to the rules]
  fair·ness  noun   [  noncount  ]
   She questioned the fairness of the decision.
   In the interest of fairness, let's not mention any names.
   She did poorly, but in all fairness [=to be fair to her], she was tired.
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II
  noun  ,  pl   fairs [  count  ]
  1 : a large public event at which there are various kinds of competitions, games, rides, and entertainment; especially US : such an event at which farm products and farm animals are shown and judged
   She showed her horse at the annual county/state fair.
  2 : an event at which many people gather to buy things or to get information about a product or activity
   a book fair
   a craft fair
   a job fair [=an event where employers offer information about their companies to people who are looking for jobs]
  3 : an event at which different things (such as crafts or food) are sold usually for charity
   The church is having a fair to raise money for the new school.