play the field

The idiom "play the field" originated from horse racing and is now commonly used to describe non-committal behavior in romantic relationships and other areas of life.

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ US Voice:
πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ UK Voice:

Definition

B2Romantic Relationships

(informal)To have multiple romantic or sexual relationships without committing to one person.

Example

  • After his breakup, he decided to play the field for a while before settling down again.
  • She enjoys playing the field and meeting new people.

B2General

(informal)To explore various opportunities or interests without committing to one.

Example

  • In his career, he prefers to play the field rather than sticking to a single job.
  • She likes to play the field when it comes to hobbies, trying out different activities every few months.

C1Horse Racing

(historical)To bet on all horses in a race except the favorite.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "play the field":

play aroundplay fast and looseplay the anglessow one's wild oatsplaying fieldfool aroundtake the fieldplay ballplay by earscrew aroundplay the man and not the ballfiddle aroundmess aroundmake a playplay inplay toplay with a full deckplay alongfree ballplay onplay athedge one's betsplay the foolplay it straightplay withfuck aroundplay to windick aroundput it about