straight man

noun

Updated on: 3 Apr 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

The Years & Years frontman is back with a new single, a new hair color, and a new outlook on straight men.

— brennan carley, GQ, "Olly Alexander Just Wants to Be Straight with You," 8 Mar. 2018
The late-night comic had found his perfect straight man.

— kyle swenson, chicagotribune.com, "Stephen Hawking's secret to surviving his terrible condition? A sense of humor.," 14 Mar. 2018
But Conley mainly serves as the straight man to inject ecological reality into the plan.

— sam dolnick, miamiherald, "After Trump won, this man vowed to become ignorant. He’s been shockingly successful | Miami Herald," 11 Mar. 2018
Boyish in appearance but confident in presentation, Alexander lounges in a windowless green room in lower Manhattan, fielding our questions about self-care, new music, and—yes—straight men.

— brennan carley, GQ, "Olly Alexander Just Wants to Be Straight with You," 8 Mar. 2018
Related Roness and Engeln both speculated, however, that gay men may be more likely than straight men to disclose their struggle with an eating disorder.

— john paul brammer /, NBC News, "Rippon's body image comments highlight hidden struggle among gay men," 16 Feb. 2018
Marty Allen, a fuzzy-haired funnyman who formed part of a popular comedy duo in the 1960s with singer and comic straight man Steve Rossi, appearing on countless television talk shows and variety shows, died Feb. 12 in Las Vegas.

— matt schudel, Washington Post, "Marty Allen, fuzzy-haired member of popular 1960s comedy duo Allen & Rossi, dies at 95," 13 Feb. 2018
Supporters say Biden’s unvarnished persona is a large part of his appeal, which is perhaps why memes about his bromance with Obama—the president is always the straight man—have gone viral.

— matthew cooper, Newsweek, "Joe Biden Can Beat Trump in 2020, but Will the Democratic Party Let Him Run?," 27 Dec. 2017
Martin was the straight man, keeping McGregor on point.

— rick bonnell, charlotteobserver, "In business of overblown egos, how Steve Martin remained Hornets’ understated voice | Charlotte Observer," 27 Feb. 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.