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
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
The bread debacle can seem like a straw man designed to make the whole system look pointless and unworkable.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2024
The straw man retort here is that the police have a tough and often dangerous job ensuring public safety for all of us.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2024
The argument is that the demonstration was built on a big straw man fallacy.
—Vera Bergengruen/buenos Aires, TIME, 23 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for straw man
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Brendan Hay, SPIN, 28 Jan. 2025
The bread debacle can seem like a straw man designed to make the whole system look pointless and unworkable.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2024
The straw man retort here is that the police have a tough and often dangerous job ensuring public safety for all of us.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2024
The argument is that the demonstration was built on a big straw man fallacy.
—Vera Bergengruen/buenos Aires, TIME, 23 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for straw man
Cite this Entry
“Straw man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straw%20man. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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