straightaway

1 of 3

adverb

straight·​away ˌstrāt-ə-ˈwā 

: without hesitation or delay

straightaway

2 of 3

adjective

straight·​away ˈstrāt-ə-ˌwā 

1

: proceeding in a straight line : continuous in direction

2

: immediate

straightaway

3 of 3

noun

straight·​away ˈstrā-tə-ˌwā 

: a straight course: such as

a

: the straight part of a closed racecourse : stretch

b

: a straight and unimpeded stretch of road or way

Synonyms of straightaway

Adverb

• immediately
• promptly
• instantly
• now
• directly
• right

Adjective

• immediate
• instantaneous
• instant

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

The disembodied voice of a Genius employee would have told him straightaway that, according to SAOT, the decision was close, but that Haaland was factually onside. — Graham Scott, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Instead of providing answers straightaway, the mode encourages kids to better understand the material through guiding questions and step-by-step support. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 18 Aug. 2026

Adjective

Ohtani came up again in the seventh inning and put Dodgers fans on the edge of their seats by sending a long fly ball to straightaway center field. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Ben Rice homered to the base of the batter's eye in straightaway center field off Walker Buehler with two outs in the third to tie the game at 1. — ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026

Noun

Taylor tied it with a straightaway 3 about 12 seconds later and Chen missed a floater to set up the winner. — CBS News, 22 Aug. 2026

The main straightaways will be Pennsylvania Avenue and Independence Avenue, where drivers will rev their race cars to speeds more than seven times faster than the normal speed limit of 25 mph. — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for straightaway

• aaa
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• axillae
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway

Kids Definition

straightaway

1 of 3 adjective

straight·​away ˈstrāt-ə-ˌwā 

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 

: without delay : immediately

found an answer straightaway