straight

/stɹeɪt/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Northumbria/stɹaɪt/

straight adjective: not crooked, curly, or bent; having a constant direction throughout its length.

Adjective

straight (comparative straighter, superlative straightest)

Not crooked, curly, or bent; having a constant direction throughout its length.
- I do not like crooked, twisted, blasted trees. I admire them much more if they are tall, straight and flourishing.1811, [Jane Austen], Sense and Sensibility […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC
- “Heavens!” exclaimed Nina, “the blue-stocking and the fogy!—and yours are pale blue, Eileen!—you’re about as self-conscious as Drina—slumping there with your hair tumbling à la Mérode! Oh, it's very picturesque, of course, but a straight spine and good grooming is better.[…]”1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC
(usually, trajectory) Direct, undeviating.
- Now, as the world knows, the straightest way to the heart of the honest voter is through the women of the land, and the straightest way to the heart of the women is through the children of the land; and one method of winning both, with rural politicians, is to kiss the babies wide and far.1913, John Fox, Jr., The Kentuckians, page 185
- He had no time to set himself, but his throw was straight and true. Pick slid in, spikes high, and Schang tagged him in the ribs a foot or two from the plate.2000, Allan Wood, Babe Ruth and the 1918 Red Sox, page 293
Perfectly horizontal or vertical; not diagonal or oblique.
- Mr. Coniff: He did not have his hat on straight; that is the one thing, is it?1925, United States House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee No. 1, Charges Against William E. Baker, U.S. District Judge
- There's nothing more annoying than taking a great picture, only to find that the horizon isn't straight.2004, Chris Weston, 500 Digital Photography Hints, Tips, and Techniques
Describing the bat as held so as not to incline to either side; on, or near a line running between the two wickets.
- Steyn continues and it's all a bit more orderly down his end as O'Brien defends the first three balls with a straight bat and a respectful dip of the head.2011 March 15, Alan Gardner, Barney Ronay, The Guardian
Having all cylinders in a single straight line; in-line.
Direct in communication; unevasive, straightforward.
- Tony Blair issued a direct challenge to the IRA yesterday when he demanded they give straight answers to three simple questions[…].2003 April 24, Rosie Cowan, The Guardian
- What's more, he actually tries to answer a straight question with a straight answer.2020 December 2, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 50
Free from dishonesty; honest, law-abiding.
- ‘It wasn't the proper thing, squoire. It wasn't straight.’1879, Anthony Trollope, John Caldigate
- How easy is it to go straight after a life spent in and out of prison?2010 August 4, The Guardian, Out of prison and trying to go straight
Serious rather than comedic.
- Allan Blye, a CBC-TV mainstay in the early Sixties, worked as a singer, writer and straight and comedic actor.1988, Ed Gould, Entertaining Canadians: Canada's international stars, 1900-1988, Cappis Pr Pub Ltd, →ISBN
- All of Peter Schickele's music, both straight and comedic are integrated side by side in this chapter.2004, Tammy Ravas, Peter Schickele: A Bio-bibliography, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN
In proper order; as it should be.
- Oh, music, how he loved it; it seemed to set everything straight all at once in his head.2007, Grant Allen, What's Bred in the Bone, page 140
- "If you wonder why folks can't take the news seriously, here's Exhibit A," said one blogger. "Lord Jesus, how can the reporter file this story with a straight face?"2010 August 15, Paul Gallagher, The Observer
In a row, in unbroken sequence; consecutive.
- After four straight wins, Mudchester United are top of the league.
- It moves them from 17th to 12th on seven points, while Bolton are now bottom of the table with five straight defeats.2011 September 24, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 3-0 Bolton”, in BBC Sport
Describing the sets in a match of which the winner did not lose a single set.
- Murray started well against Marcos Baghdatis before slumping to defeat in straight sets and the British No1 admitted he may not have been mentally prepared for the rigours of the ATP Tour after a gruelling start to 2011.2011 February 10, Press Association
(US) Making no exceptions or deviations in one's support of the organization and candidates of a political party.
- a straight Republican
- a straight Democrat

Show 15 more meaningsShow fewer meanings

(US) Containing the names of all the regularly nominated candidates of a single party and no others.
- a straight ballot
(colloquial) Conventional; mainstream; socially acceptable.
- Although Eyles, the minor celebrity, is respected by his co-workers, he looks out of place among the dozens of short-haired, short-sleeved technocrats who man the Lab. “No doubt about it,” he says, “there are an awful lot of people around here you’d have to call straight.”1971 March 18, Timothy Crouse, “Don Eyles: Extra! Weird-Looking Freak Saves Apollo 14!”, in Rolling Stone
- I've learned that there are two types of gays—straight gays and kinky gays.1983 August 20, Larry Goldsmith, quoting Joanne Prevostt Anzalone, “Pilgrim Theater Closed, 'Kinky Gays' Blamed”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 6, page 1
(colloquial) Heterosexual.
- Reuben, David R. (1969), chapter 8, in Everything you always wanted to know about sex but were too afraid to ask, New York: David McKay Company, Inc., published 1970, →LCCN, Homosexuals have their own language?, page 146: “STRAIGHT: a heterosexual”
- Ain't nobody straight in L.A. / It seems that everybody is gay1975, “Ain't Nobody Straight in L.A.”, in City of Angels, performed by The Miracles
Synonyms:

hetero
(colloquial) Occurring between people of the opposite sex (sometimes, but not always, specifically between heterosexual people).
- straight marriage, sex, relationships
- However, a "man/woman relationship" with a bisexual person in it, is not a "straight" relationship[…]2013, Shiri Eisner, Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution, Seal Press, →ISBN, page 100
(slang, sex work) Related to conventional sexual intercourse.
- “That coffee-an’ mac you got,” a French girl would crack to a straight one, and then it was on—hair came out by the handful, some bleached and some unbleached.1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Not too Far Tangent”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 1 (1899–1923: A Nothin’ but a Child), page 23
(colloquial) Not using alcohol, drugs, etc.
- For all the boredom the straight life brings, it's not too bad.1989, Gus Van Sant, Drugstore Cowboy
- ‘Alex's dad used a lot of drugs. He's been straight for years now, but it took a long time for him to be able to deal with his feelings.’2001, Ruella Frank, Body of Evidence, page 28
Synonyms:

straightedge
Not plus size; thin.
- The shirts only come in straight sizes, not in plus sizes.
- shopping at a straight-sized store
(rare) Strait; narrow.
- Egypt is a long country, but it is straight, that is to say, narrow.c. 1360, Sir John Mandeville, The Travels of Sir John Mandeville
- that the old streets are unfit for the present frequency of Coaches; and that the passage of Ludgate is a throat too straight for the body.1814, John Britton, Edward Wedlake Brayley, Thomas Hood, The Beauties of England and Wales
(obsolete) Stretched out; fully extended.
(slang) Thorough; utter; unqualified.
- A real pimp is a gentleman, but these are pimps in gorilla suits. They hang around pimps, they have hoes on the track working for them, they may even look like pimps, but they are straight simps.2012, Pimpin' Ken, PIMPOLOGY: The 48 Laws of the Game, page 11
Of spirits: undiluted, unmixed; neat.
- Real cowboys know how to rope, ride a horse and drink whisky straight.2003, Ron Jordan, Considerations
- The Martini is still in belief, if not in fact, the centerpiece of a rite, and people who would not drink straight gin on the rocks will drink straight gin on the rocks if it is called a Martini.2003, Lowell Edmunds, Martini, Straight Up, page 94
(historical) Sent at a full rate for immediate delivery; being a fast telegram.
- “Was it a straight message?” Miss Jenny asked. The other said yes and she added: “Horace must have got rich, like the soldiers say all the Y.M.C.A. did. Well, if it has taught a man like Horace to make money, the war was a pretty good thing, after all.”1964 [1929], William Faulkner, Sartoris (The Collected Works of William Faulkner), London: Chatto & Windus, page 23
Concerning the property allowing the parallel transport of vectors along a course that keeps tangent vectors remain as such throughout that course (a course which is straight, a straight curve, is a geodesic).
(informal) OK, all right, fine; in a good state or situation.
- "Is something on your mind?" "Nah, I'm straight".
- Just making sure you're straight
(informal, reciprocal) On good terms.
- We had a bit of a disagreement, but we're straight now.

Adverb

straight (comparative more straight, superlative most straight)

Of a direction relative to the subject, precisely; as if following a direct line.
- The door will be straight ahead of you.
- Go straight back.
Directly; without pause, delay or detour.
- On arriving at work, he went straight to his office.
- Tartarian theeues,
  That lie in ambuſh, waiting for a pray:
  What ſhould we doe but bid them battel ſtraight,
  And rid the world of thoſe deteſted troopes?c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC...
Continuously; without interruption or pause.
- He claims he can hold his breath for three minutes straight.
Of speech or information, without prevarication or holding back; directly; straightforwardly; plainly.
- "By ginger, Mudgy, you do go off the handle over nothing. I tell you straight, I was damned annoyed with you this afternoon, going pop like that at a man over nothing."1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC

Noun

straight (plural straights)

Something that is not crooked or bent such as a part of a road or track.
- After four grueling laps, the race had come down to a sprint. Into the straight, although my legs were burning, I called on them for more, and they responded. On my inside the maroon singlet came with me, until it was just the two of us heading for the line.2009, Robert Newton, Runner, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, page 191
- Seppi started the engine, then shifted first gear and sped away into second, then third and fourth gear. Frank heard the roar of the Porsche's engine further down the straight and the back short straight. He held a stopwatch in his hand, waiting for him to come up into the straight from the hairpin...2011, Gene W. Zepp, 24 Heures Du Mans, [S.l.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 19
Five cards in sequence.
(colloquial) A heterosexual.
- My friends call straights "heteros".
Synonyms:

hetero, breeder
(slang) A normal person; someone in mainstream society.
- You live with straights who tell you you was king / Jump when your momma tell you anything1971, John Lennon, “How Do You Sleep?”, in Imagine
- Boys! Boys! You're scaring the straights, okay? Is there any way that we could do this tomorrow?1989, Ghostbusters II, spoken by Peter Venkman (Bill Murray)
Synonyms:

basic bitch, bourgeois, L7, mainstreamer, mainstreamist, muggle, mundane, normal, normalfag, normaloid
(slang) A cigarette, particularly one containing tobacco instead of marijuana.
- A straight = a straighter = a straight cut, une cigarette en tabac de Virginie.][1923, J[oseph] Manchon, Le slang : lexique de l'anglais familier et vulgaire : précédé d'une étude sur la pronunciation et la grammaire populaires, p. 296
Synonyms:

straighter
A chiropractor who relies solely on spinal adjustment, with no other treatments.

Antonyms:

mixer
A cat that has straight ears despite belonging to a breed that often has folded ears.
- A hopeful sign of compromise is the growing popularity of Scottish Fold "straights" (cats like Maru, without droopy ears).2021, B. J. Deming, 25 More Facts About House Cats

Verb

straight (third-person singular simple present straights, present participle straighting, simple past and past participle straighted)

(transitive) To straighten.
- One man draws out the wire , another straights it , a third cuts it , a fourth points it , a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving the head1776, Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

Proper noun capitalized: Straight

Straight (plural Straights)

A surname.

straight meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

straight in Tamil

in a forward direction: நேரே nērē
directly; without pause, delay or detour: நேரே nērē
continuously: தொடர்ந்து toṭarntu, தொடர்ச்சியாக toṭarcciyāka, நிற்காமல் niṟkāmal

straight in Marathi

not crooked or bent: सरळ saraḷ
heterosexual: विषमलिंगी viṣamliṅgī

straight in Urdu

not crooked or bent: سیدھا sīdhā

More languagesFewer languages

straight in Bengali: সোজা śōja, সিধা śidha, সরল śorol
straight in Telugu: తిన్నగా tinnagā, సూటిగా sūṭigā
straight in Malayalam: നേരെ nēre, സരളം saraḷaṁ, നേർ nēṟ
straight in Kannada: ನೇರ nēra, ನೀಟು nīṭu
straight in Punjabi: ਸਿੱਧਾ siddhā, سدھا siddhā
straight in Gujarati: સીધું sīdhũ, સરળ saraḷ
straight in Odia: ସିଧା sidhā, ସୋଜା sojā, ଲମ୍ବା lambā
straight in Sanskrit: ऋजु ṛju, साधु sādhu
straight in Assamese: পোন pün
straight in Nepali: सोजो sojo
straight in Pashto: نیغ nīğ
straight in Tagalog: tuwid, diretso
straight in Arabic: مُسْتَقِيم mustaqīm, عَلَى طُول ʕalā ṭūl
straight in Malay: lurus, heteroseksual
straight in Indonesian: lurus
straight in Persian: رک rok, مستقیم
straight in Thai: ตรง dtrong
straight in Vietnamese: thẳng, thẳng thắn, dị tính
straight in Myanmar: ဖြောင့် hpraung., စင်း cang:
Sindhi: کرو kharo, کري khari, سڌو sidho, سڌي sidhi
Kashmiri: سیٛوٚد syod

Examples of straight in a sentence

Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema.2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:
You say you've got to go home / Well at least there's someone there that you can talk to / And you never have to face up to the night on your own / Jesus, it must be great to be straight1994, “Do You Remember the First Time?”, in Jarvis Cocker (lyrics), His ’n’ Hers, performed by Pulp:
‘Her last album was a bit too straight,’ he says, ‘but this one puts her in a more contemporary framework and softens her music.’1998 October 17, Eileen Fitzpatrick, Dominic Pride, Billboard:
"When you say he's a straight guy, you mean[…]?" I held up my left hand as if it were a shield and spun my ring around.2007, Tracy Quan, Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Crown Publishers, →ISBN:

All 40 example sentences with straight

Synonyms of straight

6 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of straight

Forms of straight

Adjective
comparative	straighter
superlative	straightest
alternative form (obsolete)	streight
Adverb
comparative	more straight
superlative	most straight
Noun
plural	straights
Verb
third-person singular present	straights
present participle	straighting
past participle	straighted
past	straighted
Proper noun
plural	Straights

Plural of straight: straights

Origin of straight

From Middle English streight, streght, streiȝt, the past participle of strecchen (“to stretch”), from Old English streċċan (past participle ġestreaht, ġestreht), from Proto-West Germanic *strakkjan (“to stretch”). Cognate with Scots straicht (“straight”), Dutch gestrekt (“stretched”), German gestreckt (“stretched”), Danish strakt (“stretched”), Faroese and Norn strekti (“stretched”), Icelandic strekkti (“stretched”), Norwegian strekte (“stretched”), Swedish sträckte (“stretched”). Doublet of straught. Equivalent to stretch + -ed. In some senses, conflated with strait (“narrow, constricted”), which is from Latin strictus via Old French estreit.

Words formed from straight

Phrases with straight

148 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with straight

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about straight

What does straight mean?: Straight means not crooked, curly, or bent; having a constant direction throughout its length.
What is straight in Hindi?: Straight in Hindi is सीधा (sīdhā). See Straight meaning in Hindi.
How do you use straight in a sentence?: Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema.
What part of speech is straight?: Straight can be an adjective, an adverb, a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce straight?: Straight is pronounced /stɹeɪt/.

Words near straight in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-straight.wav, en-au-straight.ogg, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Back ache-straight.wav.

Cite this entry: “straight.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/straight. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.