fair shake

noun

Synonyms of fair shakenext
: a fair chance or fair treatment

Examples of fair shake in a Sentence

it's going to be tough to get a fair shake the way this country's legal system is set up
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Kobo readers a fair shake, and neither ecosystem is as good on those fronts. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 10 Oct. 2022 That's my favorite part of being on that side of it, is really giving the female characters a fair shake. Gerrad Hall, EW.com, 6 Dec. 2022 To that end, the marketing and awards team will have to beg industry voters to watch the film all season long, and there’s a good chance some of them might not give it a fair shake. Clayton Davis, Variety, 1 Oct. 2022 Yet there’s a chance he can be stopped, if the West takes bold action to help ensure his domestic opposition gets a fair shake in upcoming presidential elections. John Bolton, WSJ, 16 Jan. 2023 See All Example Sentences for fair shake

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fair shake was in 1820

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fair shake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair%20shake. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!