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

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.

Read more on MarketWatch

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

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"My mother would have made an amazing poker player because she kept a straight face for 50 years," John continued.

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“We are not the issuer, and we don’t pay interest—we pay rewards,” CEO Brian Armstrong told analysts, presumably with a straight face.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Keaton’s fabulous feathery silver outfits, her ability to utter lines like, “it’s pure keen,” with a straight face, and her substantial use of the “orgasmatron” made the role an instant classic.

Read more on Los Angeles Times