Dictionary
fair
Pronunciation: (fâr), [key]
—adj., -er, -est,
—adv., -er, -est,
—n., v.
—
adj.
1. free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice:
a fair decision; a fair judge.
2. legitimately sought, pursued, done, given, etc.; proper under the rules:
a fair fight.
3. moderately large; ample:
a fair income.
4. neither excellent nor poor; moderately or tolerably good:
fair health.
5. marked by favoring conditions; likely; promising:
in a fair way to succeed.
6. Meteorol.
a. (of the sky) bright; sunny; cloudless to half-cloudy.
b. (of the weather) fine; with no prospect of rain, snow, or hail; not stormy.
7. Naut.(of a wind or tide) tending to aid the progress of a vessel.
8. unobstructed; not blocked up:
The way was fair for our advance.
9. without irregularity or unevenness:
a fair surface.
10. free from blemish, imperfection, or anything that impairs the appearance, quality, or character:
Her fair reputation was ruined by gossip.
11. easy to read; clear:
fair handwriting.
12. of a light hue; not dark:
fair skin.
13. pleasing in appearance; attractive:
a fair young maiden.
14. seemingly good or sincere but not really so:
The suitor beguiled his mistress with fair speeches.
15. courteous; civil:
fair words.
16. Med.(of a patient's condition) having stable and normal vital signs and other favorable indicators, as appetite and mobility, but being in some discomfort and having the possibility of a worsening state.
17. Dial.scarcely; barely:
It was just fair daylight when we started working.
18. fair to middling, Informal.only tolerably good; so-so.
—
adv.
1. in a fair manner:
He doesn't play fair.
2. straight; directly, as in aiming or hitting:
He threw the ball fair to the goal.
3. favorably; auspiciously.
4. Brit., Australian.entirely; completely; quite:
It happened so quickly that it fair took my breath away.
5. bid fair, to seem likely:
This entry bids fair to win first prize.
6. fair and square,
a. honestly; justly; straightforwardly:
He won the race fair and square.
b. honest; just; straightforward:
He was admired for being fair and square in all his dealings.
—
n.
1. Archaic.something that is fair.
2. Archaic.
a. a woman.
b. a beloved woman.
—
v.t.
1. to make the connection or junction of (surfaces) smooth and even.
2. Shipbuilding.
a. to draw and adjust (the lines of a hull being designed) to produce regular surfaces of the correct form.
b. to adjust the form of (a frame or templet) in accordance with a design, or cause it to conform to the general form of a hull.
c. to restore (a bent plate or structural member) to its original form.
d. to align (the frames of a vessel under construction) in proper position.
3. to bring (rivet holes in connecting structural members) into perfect alignment.
4. Obs.to make fair.
—
v.i.
fair off or up, South Midland and Southern U.S.(of the weather) to clear:
It's supposed to fair off toward evening. fair
Pronunciation: (fâr), [key]—
n.
1. an exhibition, usually competitive, of farm products, livestock, etc., often combined in the U.S. with entertainment and held annually by a county or state.
2. a periodic gathering of buyers and sellers in an appointed place.
3. an exposition in which different exhibitors participate, sometimes with the purpose of buying or selling:
a science fair.
4. an exhibition and sale of articles to raise money, often for some charitable purpose.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
