a fair shake

noun

informal
: a fair deal : fair treatment
The judge gave him a fair shake, requiring him to perform community service.
She expected to get a fair shake from her boss.

Examples of a fair shake in a Sentence

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.
Here’s hoping baseball’s little guys get a fair shake — one that’s long overdue. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026 Why wouldn’t John Henry do everything in his power to make sure these essential Red Sox team members get a fair shake? — Daniel A. Gilbert, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025 The Rooney Rule is simply there to make sure the door is cracked ajar if not flung open wide for minority candidates who might otherwise not be given a fair shake. — Greg Cote updated March 30, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026 Under Big 12 bylaws, Texas Tech is owed a fair shake to make its argument before the conference acts against it. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 June 2026 Her association feels the bill did not get a fair shake and will continue to advocate for it in California and for a federal law equivalent. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 24 June 2026

Rhymes for a fair shake

See All Rhymes for a fair shake

Browse Nearby Words

a fair hearing
a fair shake
Afalou man
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All