straw man

noun

1

: a weak or imaginary opposition (such as an argument or adversary) set up only to be easily confuted

2

: a person set up to serve as a cover for a usually questionable transaction

Examples of straw man in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These are straw man fallacies, falsely implying that acknowledging and celebrating the full range of backgrounds, identities and family structures kids bring to the classroom will somehow crowd out instruction time. —Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025

The true villain is Zac, who is really just a straw man for the Mormon church. —Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 16 May 2025

Tapper's stutter straw man is easily knocked over with just a few undeniable truths: reading stage directions out loud repeatedly isn't stuttering. —Mark R. Weaver, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025

This opening skit is a voicemail worrying about singer Tyler Hubbard’s choice of car, creating a straw man argument to segue into the first song. —Brendan Hay, SPIN, 28 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for straw man

• afghan
• bedpan
• began
• caveman
• chapin
• crankpin
• cyan
• deadpan
• dextran
• divan
• doorman
• fishman

Legal Definition

straw man

noun

: an intermediary for a transaction (as a conveyance of real property)