What does "straight" mean?
Something that is not crooked or bent such as a part of a road or track.
Straight
/stɹeɪt/ adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something that is not crooked or bent such as a part of a road or track.
- Grammar: straight is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: above-board, aboveboard, absolute, absolutely.
- Useful contrasts: askew, bent, crooked.
- Usage evidence: Go straight ahead until you reach the church.
How to use "straight"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "straight" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "straight" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "straight" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "straight" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "straight" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "above-board" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "straight", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 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."
- 2 a straight segment of a roadway or racecourse wordnet
- 3 Five cards in sequence.
- 4 a poker hand with 5 consecutive cards (regardless of suit) wordnet
- 5 A heterosexual. colloquial
"My friends call straights "heteros"."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a person having a sexual orientation to persons of the opposite sex wordnet
- 7 A normal person; someone in mainstream society. slang
"You live with straights who tell you you was king / Jump when your momma tell you anything"
- 8 A cigarette, particularly one containing tobacco instead of marijuana. slang
"A straight = a straighter = a straight cut, une cigarette en tabac de Virginie.]"
- 9 A chiropractor who relies solely on spinal adjustment, with no other treatments.
- 10 A cat that has straight ears despite belonging to a breed that often has folded ears.
"2021, B. J. Deming, 25 More Facts About House Cats A hopeful sign of compromise is the growing popularity of Scottish Fold "straights" (cats like Maru, without droopy ears)."
Verb
- 1 To straighten. transitive
"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"
Adjective
- 1 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."
- 2 Direct, undeviating. usually
"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."
- 3 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?"
- 4 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."
- 5 Having all cylinders in a single straight line; in-line.
Show 22 more definitions
- 6 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[…]."
- 7 Free from dishonesty; honest, law-abiding.
"‘It wasn't the proper thing, squoire. It wasn't straight.’"
- 8 Serious rather than comedic.
"Allan Blye, a CBC-TV mainstay in the early Sixties, worked as a singer, writer and straight and comedic actor."
- 9 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."
- 10 In a row, in unbroken sequence; consecutive.
"After four straight wins, Mudchester United are top of the league."
- 11 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."
- 12 Making no exceptions or deviations in one's support of the organization and candidates of a political party. US
"a straight Republican"
- 13 Containing the names of all the regularly nominated candidates of a single party and no others. US
"a straight ballot"
- 14 Conventional; mainstream; socially acceptable. colloquial
"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.”"
- 15 Heterosexual. colloquial
"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”"
- 16 Occurring between people of opposite sex (sometimes, but not always, specifically between heterosexual people). colloquial
"straight marriage, sex, relationships"
- 17 Related to conventional sexual intercourse. slang
"“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."
- 18 Not using alcohol, drugs, etc. colloquial
"For all the boredom the straight life brings, it's not too bad."
- 19 Not plus size; thin.
"The shirts only come in straight sizes, not in plus sizes."
- 20 Strait; narrow. rare
"Egypt is a long country, but it is straight, that is to say, narrow."
- 21 Stretched out; fully extended. obsolete
- 22 Thorough; utter; unqualified. slang
"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."
- 23 Of spirits: undiluted, unmixed; neat.
"Real cowboys know how to rope, ride a horse and drink whisky straight."
- 24 Sent at a full rate for immediate delivery; being a fast telegram. historical
"“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.”"
- 25 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).
- 26 OK, all right, fine; in a good state or situation. informal
""Is something on your mind?" "Nah, I'm straight"."
- 27 On good terms. informal, reciprocal
"We had a bit of a disagreement, but we're straight now."
Adjective
- 1 in keeping with the facts wordnet
- 2 successive (without a break) wordnet
- 3 rigidly conventional or old-fashioned wordnet
- 4 following a correct or logical method wordnet
- 5 (of an alcoholic drink) without water wordnet
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 without evasion or compromise wordnet
- 7 accurately fitted; level wordnet
- 8 (of hair) having no waves or curls wordnet
- 9 not homosexual wordnet
- 10 erect in posture wordnet
- 11 having no deviations wordnet
- 12 free from curves or angles wordnet
- 13 no longer coiled wordnet
- 14 characterized by honesty and fairness wordnet
- 15 neatly arranged; not disorderly wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Of a direction relative to the subject, precisely; as if following a direct line.
"The door will be straight ahead of you."
- 2 Directly; without pause, delay or detour.
"On arriving at work, he went straight to his office."
- 3 Continuously; without interruption or pause.
"He claims he can hold his breath for three minutes straight."
- 4 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.""
Adverb
- 1 without deviation wordnet
- 2 in a forthright manner; candidly or frankly wordnet
- 3 in a straight line; in a direct course wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"Go straight ahead until you reach the church."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "straight"?
Common synonyms include: above-board, aboveboard, absolute, absolutely, accordant, accurate.
How do you use "straight" in a sentence?
Go straight ahead until you reach the church.
How do you pronounce "straight"?
Pronounced /stɹeɪt/.
Etymology
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”). Doublet of straught. Equivalent to stretch + -ed. In some senses, conflated with strait (“narrow, constricted”), which is from Latin strictus via Old French estreit.