straight man

noun

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Definition of straight man

: a member of a comedy team who feeds lines to a partner who in turn replies with usually humorous quips

See straight man defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of straight man from the Web

Last month the Fab Five spoke to Entertainment Weekly about including more than just straight men on the show.

— andrea park, Glamour, "The Queer Eye Season 2 Trailer Is Here, So Prepare to Cry," 7 June 2018
There’s an argument to be made that subjecting straight men to the same objectification everyone else has long lived with is not only fair play but in fact social progress, representing a new paradigm where no one identity group is overly centered.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "What 'The Age of the Twink' Actually Means," 15 May 2018
Harrelson’s Beckett is a worthy straight man to the comedic antics, and Clarke seems to relish playing the mystery of the enigmatic Qi’ra.

— bryan bishop, The Verge, "Solo: A Star Wars Story — our spoiler-free review," 15 May 2018
Far too many married straight men wind up with their wives as social directors or their best-and-only friend, which isn’t a healthy tendency for husband or wife.

— robin abrahams, BostonGlobe.com, "Advice: My pregnant daughter-in-law gives me the cold shoulder," 10 May 2018
Davis finds both a quiet dignity and a ready comic straight man in Kahneman’s prevailing gloom.

— lily janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, "Glass half empty (or is it half full) in the Marsh’s ‘Two Minds’," 7 May 2018
Users have the option of searching for straight men, straight women, bisexual men, bisexual women, gay men and gay women.

— william axford, Houston Chronicle, "Gun enthusiast looking for love? This site should be in your crosshairs," 12 Apr. 2018
The series generated significant controversy this year when creator Katims revealed that the character inspired by Volpe, Lou Mazuchelli (played by Josh Radnor), is written as a straight man.

— nick vadala, Philly.com, "NBC honors Levittown school that inspired forthcoming series with $10,000 theater grant," 5 Mar. 2018
Until now, the show's subjects have been straight men, but there are indications the show's horizons are broadening.

— matt campbell, kansascity, "'Queer Eye' looks to Kansas City to cast its next season | The Kansas City Star," 25 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'straight man.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.