straightaway

1 of 3

adverb

straight·​away ˌstrāt-ə-ˈwā How to pronounce straightaway (audio)
: without hesitation or delay

straightaway

2 of 3

adjective

straight·​away ˈstrāt-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce straightaway (audio)
1
: proceeding in a straight line : continuous in direction
2

straightaway

3 of 3

noun

straight·​away ˈstrā-tə-ˌwā How to pronounce straightaway (audio)
: a straight course: such as
a
: the straight part of a closed racecourse : stretch
b
: a straight and unimpeded stretch of road or way

Examples of straightaway in a Sentence

Adverb He found the information straightaway. he got to the hospital, and straightaway he was admitted and given intravenous fluids Adjective her first novel was a straightaway success the doomed ship was headed on a straightaway course in the path of the iceberg
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
My ideal scenario starts with going into a used bookstore and finding something wonderful by pure serendipity, then taking it off somewhere to start reading it straightaway. New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023 The ornithologists realized straightaway that many birds in the training data set had been misclassified because of the crowdsourced workers’ limited ornithological knowledge. Dan Greene, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Nov. 2018
Adjective
The 6-foot-7-inch star hammered a high heater from Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis 414 feet to straightaway center field, stretching the scoreline to 6-2 and putting the game away despite an extra run by Cleveland in the top of the ninth. Kevin Dotson, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024 With Cease out of the game in the third, the Dodgers added two more on Will Smith’s home run, a blast to straightaway center that snapped his streak of nine hitless at-bats to start the series. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024
Noun
It is characterized by slow corners, close walls and two maximum-speed straightaways. Rob Reed, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024 The brakes are crisp, the steering is tight but not hammy, and speed is your friend on the straightaway. Josh Max, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for straightaway 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'straightaway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

circa 1534, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1857, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of straightaway was circa 1534

Dictionary Entries Near straightaway

Cite this Entry

“Straightaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straightaway. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

straightaway

1 of 3 adjective
straight·​away ˈstrāt-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce straightaway (audio)
1
: proceeding in a straight line : continuous in direction : straightforward
2
: immediate sense 4
made a straightaway reply

straightaway

2 of 3 noun
: the straight part of a racetrack : stretch

straightaway

3 of 3 adverb
straight·​away ˌstrāt-ə-ˈwā How to pronounce straightaway (audio)
: without delay : immediately
found an answer straightaway

More from Merriam-Webster on straightaway

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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