straight face

noun

1. a serious or impassive facial expression that conceals one's true feelings about something, especially a desire to laugh.

straight face

noun

1. a serious facial expression, esp one that conceals the impulse to laugh

Derived Forms

• ˈstraight-ˈfaced, adjective

Other Words From

• straight-faced adjective
• straight-fac·ed·ly [streyt, -, fey, -sid-lee, -, feyst, -lee], adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of straight face¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Idioms and Phrases

see keep a straight face .

Example Sentences

He kept a straight face, tormenting the cast who couldn’t stay in character.

From Los Angeles Times

The man can utter a line like “Alex Levy is Lazarus… which I guess makes me Jesus” and somehow keep a straight face.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s wrong that I struggle to keep a straight face.

From Los Angeles Times

“It tastes like basic fruit juice. I can hardly taste the vodka. I think it’s mid,” she said with a straight face.

From Salon

She kept a straight face even as Kimmel and the audience laughed.

From Seattle Times