play the field, to
play the field
1. To bet on all horses in a race other than the one favored to win. My father had this curious strategy of always playing the field when he bet on horse races. Never worked for him, though.
2. By extension, to date a variety of people rather than making a commitment to one person. I played the field a bit during college, but I prefer having a steady relationship.
play the field
to date many different people rather than just one. When Tom told Ann good-bye, he said he wanted to play the field. He said he wanted to play the field while he was still young.
play the field
Date more than one person; avoid an exclusive commitment. For example, All of Joe's friends are married now, but he continues to play the field. This term originated in British horseracing, where it meant "to bet on every horse in a race except the favorite." It was transferred to other activities about 1930.
play the field
If someone plays the field, they have many different romantic or sexual relationships. He gave up playing the field and married a year ago. Note: If gamblers play the field, they bet on all the horses in a race except the one that is considered most likely to win.
play the field
indulge in a series of sexual relationships without committing yourself to anyone. informal 1936 L. Lefko Public Relations He hasn't any steady. He plays the field—blonde, brunette, or what have you.
play the ˈfield
(informal) have romantic or sexual relationships with a lot of different people: He told me he didn’t want to get married yet because he was having too much fun playing the field.play the field
To date more than one person at the same time.
play the field, to
To avoid committing oneself exclusively to one cause, person, and so on; specifically, to court or date more than one person at a time. This term originated in British horse-racing during the nineteenth century, where it meant to bet on every horse in a race except the favorite. It was transferred to other kinds of “risk-spreading” in the first half of the twentieth century. In 1966 a headline in the New Republic read, “Japan Plays the Field— Peace and Trade with Everyone.”
See also: play