Synonyms

poker face

American

noun

an expressionless face.

He can tell a funny story with a poker face.
a person who has or deliberately assumes a poker face.

It is impossible to tell what that poker face is really thinking.

poker face British

noun

informal a face without expression, as that of a poker player attempting to conceal the value of his cards

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

poker face Idioms

A visage lacking any expression that can be interpreted, as in Whenever Betty attended one of her children's performances, she managed to keep a poker face. This term alludes to the facial expression of a poker player who is expert at concealing his feelings about his hand. [c. 1880]

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

poker-faced

adjective

Etymology

Origin of poker face

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

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.

Unreliable narrators Facebook Twitter Pinterest Poker face: does Black Mass portray a realistic vision of Bulger?

From The Guardian • Sep. 18, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023