straight-edge

American

[streyt-ej] / ˈstreɪtˌɛdʒ /

adjective

advocating abstinence from alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, and sex and sometimes advocating vegetarianism.

straight-edge British

adjective

informal not indulging in any kind of drug-taking or sexual activities

"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

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

straight-edge

They founded Trust Records, a punk and hardcore label that signed deals with influential bands, like Circle Jerks from Los Angeles and Boston’s straight-edge pioneers SSD, starting in 2020.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025

Is it connected to a hardcore or straight-edge ideology?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025

Serrated knives are good for extremely tender cakes, such as angel food, but for standard American-style layer cakes, Langan as well as our food stylists Lisa Cherkasky and Carolyn Robb prefer a straight-edge knife.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2023

Williams’ ex is straight-edge, so she hadn’t drunk alcohol for most of her 20s.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 12, 2020

Using the notebook as a straight-edge, Venkat drew a line from the Hab to Mark's location and beyond.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

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