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

I have to fight to keep a straight face.

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Meanwhile, up the road from MIT at Harvard Business School, the latest business review asks — with a straight face — “AI Companies Don’t Have a Profitable Business Model. Does That Matter?”

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"The idea of Alan, of all people, pulling off a masterclass in deception felt about as likely as him keeping a straight face through one of his own punchlines."

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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.

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The others kept straight faces, but Carr couldn't manage it without dissolving into a fit of giggles.

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