straight man

NOUN

comedian who sets up joke

Synonyms

STRONGEST

sidekick

WEAK

banana feed feeder foil second banana stooge straight person

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s the closest O’Hara gets to playing the straight man, if a straight man was a mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

“Yeah, but that doesn’t make sense in this case,” Meyers said, playing the straight man.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2025

It is very dapper for a straight man, but it couldn't be more boring for Tan France.

From Salon • Mar. 13, 2025

But he has grown into his role at “Saturday Night Live,” proving to be an especially strong straight man adept at the comedy of embarrassment.

From New York Times • Apr. 28, 2024

He was a tall, straight man, the hair of his head black, long behind, only short before, none on his face at all.

From The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. IX (of X) - America - I by Lodge, Henry Cabot