Straight

Pronunciation

• IPA: /stɹeɪt/
• Rhymes: -eɪt
• Homophones: strait

Alternative forms

• streight obsolete

Origin

Middle English streght, the past participle of strechen ("to stretch"), from Old English streccan.

Full definition of straight

Adjective

1. Not crooked or bent; having a constant direction throughout its length. from 14th c.
• 1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility:I do not like crooked, twisted, blasted trees. I admire them much more if they are tall, straight and flourishing.
• 2011, Adharanand Finn, The Guardian, 22 Mar 2011:The other people, I presume, are supposed to be standing to attention, but they're all smiling at me. The lines are not even straight.
2. (obsolete) Stretched out; fully extended. 15th-16th c.
3. Of a path, trajectory etc.: direct, undeviating. from 15th c.
• 1913, John Fox, Jr., The Kentuckians, p. 185: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.
• 2000, Allan Wood, Babe Ruth and the 1918 Red Sox, p. 293: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.
• 2013-06-29, Travels and travails, 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. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.
4. Free from dishonesty; honest, law-abiding. from 16th c.
• 1879, Anthony Trollope, John Caldigate:‘It wasn't the proper thing, squoire. It wasn't straight.’
5. Perfectly horizontal or vertical; not diagonal or oblique. from 17th c.
• 2004, Chris Weston, 500 Digital Photography Hints, Tips, and Techniques:There's nothing more annoying than taking a great picture, only to find that the horizon isn't straight.
6. Direct in communication; unevasive, straightforward. from 19th c.
• 2003, Rosie Cowan, The Guardian, 24 Apr 2003:Tony Blair issued a direct challenge to the IRA yesterday when he demanded they give straight answers to three simple questions ....
7. (tennis) Describing the sets in a match of which the winner did not lose a single set. from 19th c.
• 2011, Press Association, 10 Feb 2011: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.
8. In a row, in unbroken sequence. from 19th c.
• 2011, September 24, David Ornstein, Arsenal 3-0 Bolton, It moves them from 17th to 12th on seven points, while Bolton are now bottom of the table with five straight defeats.
• 2008, "Bad vibrations", The Economist, 30 Oct 2008:As of October 29th, three-month dollar Libor (the rate at which banks borrow from each other) had fallen for 13 straight days and was nearly one-and-a-half percentage points below its October 10th level.
9. In proper order; as it should be. from 19th c.
• 2007, Grant Allen, What's Bred in the Bone, p. 140:Oh, music, how he loved it; it seemed to set everything straight all at once in his head.
• 2010, Paul Gallagher, The Observer, 15 Aug 2010:"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?"
10. Of spirits: undiluted, unmixed; neat. from 19th c.
• 2003, Ron Jordan, Considerations:Real cowboys know how to rope, ride a horse and drink whisky straight.
• 2003, Lowell Edmunds, Martini, Straight Up, p. 94: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.
11. (cricket) Describing the bat as held so as not to incline to either side; on, or near a line running between the two wickets. from 19th c.
• 2011, Alan Gardner & Barney Ronay, The Guardian, 15 Mar 2011: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.
12. (colloquial) Conventional, socially acceptable; unadventurous. from 20th c.
• 1994, Jarvis Cocker, ‘Do You Remember the First Time?’: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 straight.
• 1998, Eileen Fitzpatrick & Dominic Pride, Billboard, 17 Oct 1998:‘Her last album was a bit too straight,’ he says, ‘but this one puts her in a more contemporary framework and softens her music.’
13. (colloquial) Not using alcohol, drugs etc. from 20th c.
• 2001, Ruella Frank, Body of Evidence, p. 28:‘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.’
14. (colloquial) Heterosexual.
• 2007, Layla Kumari, The Guardian, 17 Sep 2007:Some of my friends - gay and straight - seem unable to understand the close but platonic nature of my and Gian's relationship, but have been supportive.
• 2011, Jodi Picoult, Sing You Home, p. 273:Angela smiles. ‘I'm straight, Zoe, and I'm happily married.’
15. (colloquial, slang, pejorative) Boring, unimaginative, mainstream. from 20th c.
• Wavy Gravy‘Sure, I could have done it different...put my clown in a closet and dressed up in straight clothing. I could have compromised my essence, and swallowed my soul.’
• 1989, Gus Van Sant, Drugstore Cowboy.‘For all the boredom the straight life brings, it's not too bad.’
16. My boyfriend is straight.
17. (obsolete, rare) Strait; narrow.
• Sir J. MandevilleEgypt is a long country, but it is straight, that is to say, narrow.
18. (US, politics) Making no exceptions or deviations in one's support of the organization and candidates of a political party.a straight Republican; a straight Democrat
19. (US, politics) Containing the names of all the regularly nominated candidates of a party and no others.a straight ballot

Antonyms

• curved

Usage notes

Straight is sometimes humorously used as meaning low quality by homosexuals and bisexuals, rather than gay.

Derived terms

Adverb

1. 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.
2. Directly; without pause, delay or detour.On arriving at work, he went straight to his office.
• AddisonI know thy generous temper well;
  Fling but the appearance of dishonour on it,
  It straight takes fire, and mounts into a blaze.
3. Continuously; without interruption or pause.He claims he can hold his breath for three minutes straight.

Noun

1. A part of a racecourse, running track or other road etc that is not curved.
2. A heterosexual.My friends call straights "heteros".
3. In poker, five cards in sequence.
4. (slang) A cigarette, particularly one containing tobacco instead of marijuana. Also straighter. from 20th c.
• 1923, Joseph Manchon, Le slang : lexique de l'anglais familier et vulgaire : précédé d'une étude sur la pronunciation et la grammaire populaires, p. 296:

Synonyms

• (heterosexual) hetero, breeder

Verb

1. (transitive) To straighten.