straight face

noun

1. a serious or impassive facial expression that conceals one's true feelings about something, especially a desire to laugh.

straight face

noun

1. a serious facial expression, esp one that conceals the impulse to laugh

Other Word Forms

• straight-faced adjective
• straight-facedly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of straight face¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Idioms and Phrases

see keep a straight face.

Example Sentences

More cool than what I have seen on TV because sometimes you see straight face and stuff so I thought he was cold... someone who doesn't talk a lot.

From BBC

The weirdest ones earned him a recurring guest gig on “Late Night with David Letterman,” where he’d swear with a straight face that every story was true.

From Salon

Played with a straight face, “Weapons” could ignite major, necessary conversations about the fear parents have of sending their children to school and the long-term ramifications of unfathomable violence.

From Salon

Paltrow keeps a straight face while gently steering the narrative back to Astronomer’s actual product: data pipeline orchestration.

From Salon

"I think looseheads around the globe are quite weird people," he said, again with a straight face.

From BBC