ramrod straight
idiom
: in a very straight and stiff way
—used especially to describe the way someone stands or sits
He sat in the saddle, ramrod straight.
Examples of ramrod straight in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mayor Melvin Carter was ramrod straight and dignified in his concession.
—
Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025
Not easy for me, Lucy Gantt Sheppard says, sitting up ramrod straight, eyes fixed on mine across the dark expanse of dining-room table.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
Nation/World As a girl in South Korea, Kristen Yoo walked with books on her head to cultivate a model’s ramrod straight posture.
—Jeong Park, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Apr. 2023
His posture became ramrod straight.
—Marcia Desanctis, Vogue, 4 Jan. 2023
In the audience, seated with her parents and two daughters, Joy watched her son speak, ramrod straight in his blue uniform festooned with badges and metals.
—Sydney Trent, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2022
In Hyde Park, many stood ramrod straight, with heads bowed in a moment of uniform solemnity remarkable for a crowd that size.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2022
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Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025
Not easy for me, Lucy Gantt Sheppard says, sitting up ramrod straight, eyes fixed on mine across the dark expanse of dining-room table.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
Nation/World As a girl in South Korea, Kristen Yoo walked with books on her head to cultivate a model’s ramrod straight posture.
—Jeong Park, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Apr. 2023
His posture became ramrod straight.
—Marcia Desanctis, Vogue, 4 Jan. 2023
In the audience, seated with her parents and two daughters, Joy watched her son speak, ramrod straight in his blue uniform festooned with badges and metals.
—Sydney Trent, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2022
In Hyde Park, many stood ramrod straight, with heads bowed in a moment of uniform solemnity remarkable for a crowd that size.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Ramrod straight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ramrod%20straight. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
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