straight

[streyt] /streɪt/
adjective, straighter, straightest.
1.
without a bend, angle, or curve; not curved; direct:
a straight path.
2.
exactly vertical or horizontal; in a perfectly vertical or horizontal plane:
a straight table.
3.
(of a line) generated by a point moving at a constant velocity with respect to another point.
4.
evenly or uprightly formed or set:
straight shoulders.
5.
without circumlocution; frank; candid:
straight speaking.
6.
honest, honorable, or upright, as conduct, dealings, methods, or persons.
7.
Informal. reliable, as a report or information.
8.
right or correct, as reasoning, thinking, or a thinker.
9.
in the proper order or condition:
Things are straight now.
10.
continuous or unbroken:
in straight succession.
11.
thoroughgoing or unreserved:
a straight Republican.
12.
supporting or cast for all candidates of one political party:
to vote a straight ticket.
13.
unmodified or unaltered:
a straight comedy.
14.
without change in the original melody or tempo:
She does straight songs, with just the piano backing her.
15.
Informal.
  1. heterosexual.
  2. traditional; conventional.
  3. free from using narcotics.
  4. not engaged in crime; law-abiding; reformed.
16.
undiluted, as whiskey.
17.
Theater. (of acting) straightforward; not striving for effect.
18.
Journalism. written or to be written in a direct and objective manner, with no attempt at individual styling, comment, etc.:
She gave me a straight story. Treat it as straight news.
19.
Cards. containing cards in consecutive denominations, as a two, three, four, five, and six, in various suits.
adverb
20.
in a straight line:
to walk straight.
21.
in an even form or position:
pictures hung straight.
22.
in an erect posture:
to stand up straight.
23.
directly:
to go straight to a place.
24.
without circumlocution; frankly; candidly (often followed by out).
25.
honestly, honorably, or virtuously:
to live straight.
26.
without intricate involvement; not in a roundabout way; to the point.
27.
in a steady course (often followed by on):
to keep straight on after the second traffic light.
28.
into the proper form or condition; in order:
to put a room straight.
29.
in possession of the truth or of true ideas:
I want to set you straight before you make mistakes.
30.
sold without discount regardless of the quantity bought:
Candy bars are twenty cents straight.
31.
Journalism. directly and objectively:
Write the circus story straight.
32.
without personal embellishments, additions, etc.:
Tell the story straight. Sing the song straight.
33.
(of liquor) served or drunk without ice, a mixer, or water; neat:
He drank his whiskey straight.
noun
34.
the condition of being straight.
35.
a straight form or position.
36.
a straight line.
37.
a straight part, as of a racecourse.
38.
Informal.
  1. a heterosexual.
  2. a person who follows traditional or conventional mores.
  3. a person who is free from narcotics.
39.
Chiefly Games. a succession of strokes, plays, etc., which gives a perfect score.
Idioms
40.
go straight, Informal. to live a law-abiding life; no longer engage in crime.
41.
play it straight, Informal. to do something without jokes, tricks, subterfuge, distortions, or the like:
a comedian who plays it straight when he crusades against drug abuse.
42.
straight off, without delay; immediately:
I told him straight off what I thought about the matter.
Also, straight away.
43.
straight up, (of a cocktail) served without ice:
a gin martini straight up.
Origin
1250-1300; (adj.) Middle English; orig. past participle of strecchen to stretch; (adv. and noun) Middle English, derivative of the adj.
Related forms
straightly, adverb
straightness, noun
overstraight, adjective
overstraightly, adverb
overstraightness, noun
superstraight, adjective
unstraight, adjective
unstraightness, noun
Can be confused
straight, strait.
Synonyms
5. open, direct. 6. virtuous, just, fair, equitable.
Antonyms
1. crooked. 5. devious.
Examples from the web for straight
  • Any national self-examination, any meeting which talked honestly about what the nation had come to, ran straight into the trials.
  • Although they're more expensive than the conically shaped ones, straight-sided cages are easier to use.
  • Smooth all surfaces with the paintbrush using long, straight strokes in one direction.
  • Practically every word spoken, every scene, every situation comes straight from the text.
  • Roast meatballs at the same time, pour in broth, and you have soup straight from the oven.
  • Then, home remedies go straight into shocking: performing chicken surgery.
  • She's making her ready: she'll come straight: you must be witty now.
  • The lower border of the ramus is thick, straight, and continuous with the inferior border of the body of the bone.
  • Attend thou with eye and ear, and make judgements straight with righteousness.
  • Then he gathered together in his apron all kinds of gold things, went on shore and walked straight to the royal palace.
British Dictionary definitions for straight

straight

/streɪt/
adjective
1.
not curved or crooked; continuing in the same direction without deviating
2.
straightforward, outright, or candid: a straight rejection
3.
even, level, or upright in shape or position
4.
in keeping with the facts; accurate
5.
honest, respectable, or reliable
6.
accurate or logical: straight reasoning
7.
continuous; uninterrupted
8.
(esp of an alcoholic drink) undiluted; neat
9.
not crisp, kinked, or curly: straight hair
10.
correctly arranged; orderly
11.
(of a play, acting style, etc) straightforward or serious
12.
(journalism) (of a story, article, etc) giving the facts without unnecessary embellishment
13.
(US) sold at a fixed unit price irrespective of the quantity sold
14.
(boxing) (of a blow) delivered with an unbent arm: a straight left
15.
(of the cylinders of an internal-combustion engine) in line, rather than in a V-formation or in some other arrangement: a straight eight
16.
a slang word for heterosexual
17.
(informal) no longer owing or being owed something: if you buy the next round we'll be straight
18.
(slang) conventional in views, customs, appearance, etc
19.
(slang) not using narcotics; not addicted
adverb
20.
in a straight line or direct course
21.
immediately; at once: he came straight back
22.
in an even, level, or upright position
23.
without cheating, lying, or unreliability: tell it to me straight
24.
continuously; uninterruptedly
25.
(US) without discount regardless of the quantity sold
26.
(often foll by out) frankly; candidly: he told me straight out
27.
(informal) go straight, to reform after having been dishonest or a criminal
noun
28.
the state of being straight
29.
a straight line, form, part, or position
30.
(Brit) a straight part of a racetrack US name straightaway
31.
(poker)
  1. five cards that are in sequence irrespective of suit
  2. a hand containing such a sequence
  3. (as modifier): a straight flush
32.
(slang) a conventional person
33.
(slang) a heterosexual person
34.
(slang) a cigarette containing only tobacco, without marijuana, etc
Derived Forms
straightly, adverb
straightness, noun
Word Origin
C14: from the past participle of Old English streccan to stretch
Word Origin and History for straight
adj.

mid-14c., "direct, undeviating, not crooked," properly "that which is stretched," adjectival use of Old English streht (altered, by analogy with streccan, from earlier streaht), past participle of streccan "to stretch" (see stretch (v.)). Meaning "true, direct, honest" is from 1520s. Of communication, "clear, unambiguous," from 1862. Sense of "undiluted, uncompromising" (e.g. straight whiskey, 1874) is American English, first recorded 1856.

Theatrical sense of "serious" (as opposed to popular or comic) is attested from 1895; vaudeville slang straight man first attested 1923. Go straight in the underworld slang sense is from 1919; straighten up "become respectable" is from 1907. Straight arrow "decent, conventional person" is 1969, from archetypal Native American brave name. To keep a straight face first recorded 1897; straight shooter is from 1928; straight-edge as a punk subculture is attested by 1987.

"conventional," especially "heterosexual," 1941, probably in part from straight and narrow path "course of conventional morality and law-abiding behavior," which is based on a misreading of Matt. vii:14 (where the gate is actually strait), and the other influence seems to be from strait-laced.

n.

1864, "straight part of a race track," from straight (adj.1). Poker sense attested from 1841. Meaning "conventional person" is first recorded 1967 (see straight (adj.2)).

Slang definitions & phrases for straight

straight

adjective
  1. Unmixed; undiluted; neat: He takes his liquor straight (1874+)
  2. Not using narcotics; not addicted; clean (1950s+ Narcotics)
  3. Having had a narcotics dose, esp the first one of the day: Once the addict has had his shot and is ''straight'' he may become industrious (1946+ Narcotics)
  4. Heterosexual; not sexually deviant (1941+ fr homosexuals)
  5. True; honest and direct: from straight-poop tough to moral (1530+)
noun

A tobacco cigarette; square (1960s+ Musicians & students)

Related Terms

go straight


Idioms and Phrases with straight

straight

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