straight face
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of straight face
First recorded in 1890–95
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.
“No one can tell you with a straight face where interest rates are going,” Jim Lebenthal, who was a market strategist specializing in municipal bonds, wrote in 2009 in his now-classic “Lebenthal on Munis.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
The paper “published this piece with zero evidence. And we’re all just supposed to sit here with a straight face and take it like it is some sort of truth.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
A Huawei executive explained the design to me with a straight face: “We’re doing well in Europe.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Bob Mortimer's efforts to make his rival comedians crack a smile while he kept a straight face in Last One Laughing earned him the Bafta for best entertainment performance.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
Minutes later she returned, wiping wetness from her cheeks, struggling to keep a straight face.
From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli
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.
