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.

On UPN’s “Malcolm & Eddie,” which premiered in 1996, he’s the straight man to Eddie Griffin’s frenetic doofus.

From Salon • Jul. 23, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2025

The two have the rapport of an experienced comedy pairing: Larry King’s straight man to Schwartz’s rambunctious troublemaker.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2024

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

Had he been a crook, everything would have been easy; being a fairly straight man, everything was impossible.

From The Man Who Lost Himself by Stacpoole, H. De Vere (Henry De Vere)