fair shake

See synonyms for fair shake on Thesaurus.com
nounInformal.
  1. an equitable opportunity or treatment: The judges promised that every entrant in the contest would get a fair shake.

Origin of fair shake

1
An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fair shake in a sentence

  • A fair shake, do you think, or is somebody trying to string you?

    Motor Matt's Race | Stanley R. Matthews
  • The fact was that Si and his companions hardly had a fair shake in this respect, and entered the field at a decided disadvantage.

  • She deserves a fair shake and, by the big dipper, she's goin' to have it!

    Cy Whittaker's Place | Joseph C. Lincoln
  • Your father was a great man, and he rates a fair shake in the write-ups.

    Bear Trap | Alan Edward Nourse