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Showing results for keep a straight face. Search instead for I heard it straight from.

keep a straight face

Idioms  
  1. Don't show one's feelings, especially refrain from laughing. For example, The school orchestra played so many wrong notes that I had trouble keeping a straight face. [Late 1800s]


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

This is so obviously a market mania that I honestly don’t know how anyone on the Street of Shame can say otherwise and keep a straight face.

From MarketWatch Oct. 31, 2025

“Close Encounter”: Kate McKinnon was so hilarious describing her experience with the aliens that Ryan Gosling and the rest of the cast couldn’t keep a straight face.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 4, 2024

Rep. Greg Casar of Austin, another freshman Democrat who sits beside Crockett in the Oversight Committee, said he often struggles to keep a straight face during Crockett’s speeches.

From Salon Jan. 18, 2024

The last one to keep a straight face wins.

From New York Times Jan. 18, 2024

Seeing I was trying to keep a straight face, she giggled.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

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