straight
Adjectivestraighter, straightest
Noun pluralstraights
Formsstraighter, straightest
Pluralstraights
- 1Extending or moving in one direction without curving, bending, or turning aside along its whole length.
The carpenter checked that each board was perfectly straight before nailing it down.
Her hair was naturally straight, never curling even in humid weather.
Oppositecurved, bent, crooked, curly
Note
Most other senses grow from this one, and its origin explains it. Middle English streight was the past participle of strecchen, "to stretch", so a straight line was first a stretched one, like a pulled cord. An arm held straight, fully extended, keeps that older meaning in view. Of trees, hair or rows, the word names the absence of bends: Jane Austen sets tall, straight trees against crooked, twisted ones.
- 2Directly, without pause, delay, or going out of the way.
After landing, we drove straight to the hotel without detouring.
She finished one task and moved straight on to the next without a break.
UsageUsually followed by a place or time: go straight to bed, straight home, straight after lunch.
Similardirectly, immediately, right, promptly, instantly
Oppositeindirectly
Note
Older English let the word stand alone to mean "at once". Meander in Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine would "bid them battel straight," and in Addison's Cato (1713) a generous temper "straight takes fire." Readers of early verse should take it as immediately, not as a description of the route.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
- Older English used straight independently to mean at once. gutenberg.org
- Christopher Marlowe wrote Tamburlaine. gutenberg.org
- Meander speaks the line in Tamburlaine the Great, Part I, Act II, scene ii. gutenberg.org
- The quoted wording bid them battel straight is attested. en.wiktionary.org
- Joseph Addison wrote Cato, first published in 1713. gutenberg.ca
- In Cato, a generous temper is described as straight taking fire. oll-resources.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com
- 3Following one after another without a break; consecutive, as when a player wins every set of a match ('in straight sets').
The champion recorded her tenth straight victory on Sunday.
The factory ran for twenty straight hours during the crisis.
UsageOften after a number: ten straight wins, a second straight win, in straight sets. After the noun: ten hours straight.
Similarconsecutive, successive
- 4In a precise direction relative to oneself, as if following a direct line.
She stared straight into the camera without blinking.
The trail led straight toward the mountains on the horizon.
UsageOften with ahead, at or into: look straight at someone, walk straight ahead.
Similardirectly, right, dead, squarely
Oppositeindirectly, sideways, obliquely
- 5Heterosexual: sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex, or (of a relationship) between people of opposite sexes.
He identifies as straight, though he says labels matter less to him now.
Her roommate assumed she was straight until she mentioned her girlfriend.
Similarheterosexual
Oppositegay
Note
The word came into general use from gay slang. David R. Reuben's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (1969) still glosses STRAIGHT in a section on homosexuals' own language. By 1975 The Miracles could sing "Ain't Nobody Straight in L.A." as the plain opposite of gay.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- The heterosexual sense of straight originated in gay slang. en.wikipedia.org
- David R. Reuben wrote Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, first published in 1969. en.wikipedia.org
- Reuben's book glosses STRAIGHT as heterosexual in a section about homosexuals' language. en.wiktionary.org
- The Miracles' 1975 song Ain't Nobody Straight in L.A. uses straight in opposition to gay. en.wikipedia.org
- 6Exactly level or exactly upright, rather than slanting or at an angle.
She stepped back to check that the bookcase was perfectly straight.
The surveyor confirmed that the fence post was straight and not leaning.
UsageOften comes after the noun or verb: hang a picture straight, put your hat on straight.
Similarlevel, plumb, upright, even, vertical
Oppositecrooked, askew, slanted, tilted
Note
Here the question is orientation, not shape. A horizon can be perfectly unbent and still not be straight in this sense, because it tilts. Where the "not bent" meaning is checked with a ruler, this one is checked with a level or a plumb line.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- A ruler can be used to check straightness. en.wikipedia.org
- A level checks horizontal or vertical orientation. en.wikipedia.org
- A plumb line provides a vertical reference. en.wikipedia.org
- 7Direct and frank in communication; not evasive or roundabout.
I prefer a manager who is straight about bad news rather than vague.
She gave a straight account of what happened that night.
UsageCommon in a straight answer or question. Of people: be straight with someone, straight about the facts.
Similarfrank, direct, honest, candid, forthright
- 8Without any interruption or pause; continuously.
The team rehearsed for six hours straight before opening night.
It rained for a week straight, flooding the lower fields.
UsageGoes after a length of time: six hours straight, a week straight.
Similarrunning, solid, nonstop, continuously, consecutively
Oppositeintermittently, sporadically
- 9A section of a road, racetrack, or course that runs in a line without curving.
The leader pulled away down the home straight to take the checkered flag.
Engineers widened the long straight so trucks could pass more safely.
UsageUsually with the: the home straight, down the straight.
Similarstretch
Note
Racing gives the noun most of its use: into the straight, down the straight, the home straight, and on a circuit like Le Mans, a back straight and a short straight. On a track it names the stretch between bends, where runners sprint and engines roar.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The Le Mans circuit has a back straight. newsroom.bugatti.com
- The Le Mans circuit has a short straight. 24h-lemans.com
- 10Serious in tone or manner rather than comedic.
The actor wanted a straight role after years of slapstick comedy.
She delivered her lines straight while the rest of the cast hammed it up.
UsageCommon in a straight role and play it straight.
Similarserious, dramatic, deadpan, solemn
Oppositecomic, comedic, humorous
Note
Show-business language, almost always defined against comedy. Performers and composers are described as working in both straight and comedic modes, a pairing that recurs in writing about Robin Williams and Peter Schickele. A straight role or a straight reading plays the material seriously. The word marks the absence of jokes, not the absence of style.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Writing about Robin Williams describes his work as both straight and comedic. en.wiktionary.org
- Writing about Peter Schickele describes his music as both straight and comedic. en.wiktionary.org
- 11Thorough and absolute; utter and unqualified.
The whole scheme was straight fraud, and everyone in the room knew it.
Critics dismissed the sequel as straight garbage.
UsageGoes before a noun: straight garbage. In formal writing, use utter or sheer.
Similaroutright, pure, utter, absolute, total
Note
This is a slang intensifier that stands before a noun and admits no degrees: straight garbage, straight fraud, or Pimpin' Ken's dismissal of imitators as "straight simps" in Pimpology (2007).
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Pimpin' Ken uses "straight simps" in Pimpology to dismiss people who resemble pimps. en.wiktionary.org
- Pimpology was first published in 2007. simonandschuster.com
- 12In proper order; arranged as it should be.
He wouldn't leave the office until the books were straight.
Let me get the facts straight before I answer your question.
UsageUsually with verbs of fixing: get the facts straight, set the record straight, put things straight.
Similarright, correct, tidy, orderly, neat
Oppositemuddled, confused, disorderly, messy
Note
In Grant Allen's What's Bred in the Bone, music seems to set everything straight in a man's head. The fixed phrase a straight face belongs here too. It means a composed, orderly expression kept even when something is absurd.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Grant Allen wrote What's Bred in the Bone. gutenberg.org
- The novel describes music as seeming to set everything straight in a man's head. gutenberg.org
Less common meanings
- 13Of speech or information, directly and plainly, without holding back or evading.
I'll give it to you straight: the project is failing.
She answered straight, refusing to soften the bad news.
UsageComes after verbs of telling: tell you straight, give it to me straight.
Similarfrankly, plainly, bluntly, directly, candidly
Oppositeevasively, vaguely, indirectly
Note
Norman Lindsay's Age of Consent (1938) uses "I tell you straight" to preface a blunt complaint. The adverb usually follows a verb of saying, as in tell it straight or give it to me straight, and promises the listener no softening.
- 14Free from dishonesty; honest and law-abiding.
Investors trusted her because she had a reputation as a straight dealer.
The new sheriff was determined to keep the whole department straight.
UsageBest known in go straight: stop committing crimes.
Similarhonest, upright, fair, square, law-abiding
Oppositecrooked, dishonest, corrupt, bent
Note
Older use is broader and is about fair dealing rather than the law. In Anthony Trollope's John Caldigate (1879), passing over the rightful heir simply "wasn't straight."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Anthony Trollope wrote John Caldigate. gutenberg.org
- John Caldigate's first book edition appeared in 1879. trollopesociety.org
- The novel contains the exact words “wasn't straight.” gutenberg.org
- 15Of an alcoholic spirit, served undiluted and unmixed; neat.
Connoisseurs often insist that a fine single malt be drunk straight.
He ordered the rye straight, waving away the bartender's offer of ice.
UsageUsually after the drink: drink whisky straight. Neat means the same.
Similarneat, undiluted, unmixed
Note
Lowell Edmunds plays on the difference between name and substance: people who would never order straight gin on the rocks will drink exactly that if it is called a Martini.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Lowell Edmunds observes that people who would not drink straight gin on the rocks will drink it when called a Martini. en.wiktionary.org
- 16
- 17On good terms with another person, with no unresolved conflict between them.
After he apologized, the two brothers were straight again.
I returned what I owed, so the neighbors and I are straight now.
UsageUsually with a plural subject: we're straight now. Common after a debt is paid or a quarrel ends.
Similarsquare, even, quits, good
Oppositeestranged
- 18A person whose romantic and sexual attraction is directed toward people of the opposite sex.
The club was mostly gay, but plenty of straights came for the music.
The club welcomes everyone, and no straight who walks in should feel out of place.
Similarhetero
Oppositehomosexual, gay, lesbian
- 19In poker, a hand of five cards in consecutive numerical sequence, regardless of suit.
She turned over a straight to take the pot.
His straight lost to a flush on the final card.
Note
Card players rank it above three of a kind and below a flush. It is an unbroken run of five ranks in mixed suits, since five in one suit would make a straight flush. The ace may count high or low, closing either end of the run. The noun shares its idea with the "consecutive" adjective: a straight is five cards in a row.
- 20Conventional and mainstream; socially acceptable.
After years on the road, the band settled into a straight, mainstream sound.
She found the quiet suburb far too straight for her taste.
UsageRarely a compliment: too straight, a bit too straight.
Similarconventional, square, conservative, orthodox, traditional
Oppositeunconventional, alternative, bohemian, edgy
Note
Here straight means fitting in, and it can work apart from sexuality. Joanne Prevost Anzalone's division of "straight gays and kinky gays" (1983) shows it plainly distinct from the "heterosexual" meaning. Critics use it of art as well: a Billboard piece quotes one speaker finding a singer's album "a bit too straight".
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Anzalone distinguished between “straight gays and kinky gays” in 1983. en.wiktionary.org
- 21Not using alcohol, drugs, or similar substances.
After rehab he worked hard to stay straight.
Being straight at loud parties took some getting used to.
UsageUsually stay straight or be straight. Go straight usually means giving up crime instead.
Similarsober, clean, dry, abstinent
Oppositehigh, drunk, intoxicated
Note
Recovery talk uses it for being clean and staying that way: he's been straight for years, the straight life of Gus Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Gus Van Sant directed Drugstore Cowboy. en.wikipedia.org
- Drugstore Cowboy uses 'the straight life' in the context of sobriety. en.wiktionary.org
- 22Of an engine, with every cylinder arranged in one straight row; in-line.
Mechanics praised the smoothness of the car's straight engine layout.
The sedan's straight six delivered steady power without much vibration.
Similarin-line
Note
Engine builders put it before a cylinder count: straight four, straight six, straight eight. It describes the block's layout, with every cylinder in one row along the crankshaft, and it stands against V and flat arrangements. In-line is an exact synonym. Some straight layouts, notably the straight six, are valued for inherent balance, at the cost of a longer block.
- 23A conventional person who belongs to mainstream society rather than a subculture.
To the commune, any visitor in a suit was a straight, eyed with suspicion.
The bohemians liked to divide the world into artists and straights.
UsageStraights can also mean heterosexual people, so let the context show which you mean.
Similarnormie, square, normal, muggle, mainstreamer
Oppositebohemian, nonconformist, hippie
Note
Countercultural slang names outsiders this way, usually with a curl of the lip. John Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?" (1971) sneers at living with straights, and Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters II warns that the boys are scaring the straights.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- John Lennon's song "How Do You Sleep?" was released in 1971. en.wikipedia.org
- The song disparages living with straights. johnlennon.com
- Venkman warns his colleagues in Ghostbusters II that they are scaring the straights. imsdb.com
- 24Supporting a political party's candidates and organization completely, making no exceptions or deviations.
He cast a straight ticket for the first time after years of splitting his vote.
Many older voters still pull a straight party ballot out of loyalty.
UsageMost often in a straight ticket, or of a voter, a straight Republican or Democrat.
Oppositesplit
Note
American party politics uses it for unbroken loyalty, applied either to the voter (a straight Republican, a straight Democrat) or to the vote itself, a straight ticket. Its opposite is split-ticket voting, which chooses candidates from more than one party. A ballot marked for one party's whole slate is likewise called a straight ticket.
- 25Not plus-size; falling within the smaller, thinner range of clothing sizes.
She modeled straight sizes before the agency signed plus-size talent.
The boutique carried straight sizes alongside a new extended line.
UsageMostly in straight sizes; before another noun, straight-sized models.
Note
The term treats the smaller range as the unmarked default, so it describes clothing ranges more often than bodies.
- 26To make something straight; to straighten it.
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 head
1776, Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations - 27A cigarette containing tobacco rather than marijuana.
- 28In cricket, of a bat held upright without leaning either way, or of play along or near the line between the two sets of stumps.
- 29Of a ballot or ticket, listing every regular nominee of one party and nobody else.
- 30Of sex, of the conventional kind, without unusual practices.
- 31Confined in width, with little room.
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 - 32Lying or reaching out to its whole length, with no bend.
- 33Of a telegram, charged at the full rate and sent for delivery without delay.
- 34In differential geometry, describing a curve whose tangent vectors stay tangent to it when carried along by parallel transport, so that it is a geodesic.
- 35A member of the school of chiropractic that limits its practice to spinal manipulation and rejects added therapies.
- 36A cat with upright ears from a breed in which folded ears are common, such as the Scottish Fold.
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Origin
The word began as streight, the Middle English past participle of strecchen ("to stretch"). That verb came from Old English streċċan, which goes back to Proto-West Germanic *strakkjan ("to stretch"). In effect it is "stretch" with a past-participle ending.