play the field

present singular third person plays the field · participle present playing the field · participle past played the field · past played the field

1. UKhobbiesTo cut one's losses by betting on every racehorse other than the crowd favorite.
2. idiomaticTo have numerous romantic partners, without or before committing exclusively to one.

   He says I'm the only one, but my friends say he's playing the field.

   3 more examples

   I know you got charm and appeal / You always play the field / I'm crazy to think you're all mine

   1980, Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers, “Upside Down”, in Diana, performed by Diana Ross

   In a world where you can get a sexual partner faster than a pizza delivery, it has never been easier to play the field.

   2020 January 28, Lizzie Cernik, “The power of celibacy: ‘Giving up sex was a massive relief’”, in The Guardian

   But ostriches in breeding season are relentlessly promiscuous, with both males and females seeking liaisons with multiple partners. No doubt they have their reasons. But from an evolutionary perspective, playing the field is a way to get diverse DNA into as many nests as possible and compensate for the fact that most nests fail.

   2020 August 4, Richard Conniff, “They may look goofy, but ostriches are nobody’s fool”, in National Geographic Magazine