straight man
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of straight man
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
It’s the closest O’Hara gets to playing the straight man, if a straight man was a mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026
Some scenes introduce that character as the straight man.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2025
The two have the rapport of an experienced comedy pairing: Larry King’s straight man to Schwartz’s rambunctious troublemaker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2024
But he has grown into his role at “Saturday Night Live,” proving to be an especially strong straight man adept at the comedy of embarrassment.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2024
"Do you think you can kill the bull?" asked the straight man.
From The Boy Grew Older by Broun, Heywood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
