straight
- 01 A2 Elementary
adj.not bending or curving; continuing in one direction.
adj.having a constant direction throughout its length; not crooked, curly, or bent.
Simple“The road was straight for miles, so it was very easy to drive on.”
In context“The architect insisted on perfectly straight lines to emphasize the building's minimalist aesthetic.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
adj.honest and easy to understand; not trying to hide the truth.
adj.direct in communication and free from dishonesty or evasion.
Simple“I just want a straight answer to my question.”
In context“He has a reputation for being a straight shooter who never hides his true intentions from his business partners.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.happening one after another without a break.
adj.occurring in an unbroken sequence; consecutive.
Simple“They won three straight games and moved to the top of the league.”
In context“After working ten straight hours without a break, the medical staff was visibly exhausted.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 B1 Intermediate
adj.attracted to people of the opposite sex.
adj.denoting a heterosexual orientation.
Simple“He has both straight and gay friends in his social circle.”
In context“The documentary explores the experiences of both straight and LGBTQ+ individuals in rural communities.”
Synonyms - 05 B1 Intermediate
adj.organized and in the correct place.
adj.arranged in proper order; tidy and as it should be.
Simple“I need to get the house straight before the guests arrive.”
In context“It took several hours of filing to finally get the office records straight.”
Antonyms - 06 C1 Advanced
adj.a drink, like whisky, that is not mixed with water or ice.
adj.referring to spirits served undiluted and without mixers.
Simple“He ordered a straight vodka at the bar.”
In context“The connoisseur preferred his bourbon straight, arguing that ice cubes masked the subtle notes of the oak barrel.”
- 07 A2 Elementary
adv.in a direct line or without stopping.
adv.in a direct course; without pause, delay, or detour.
Simple“Go straight down this hall and turn left at the end.”
In context“After the meeting concluded, she went straight to the airport to catch the red-eye flight to London.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 08 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a part of a road or track that does not curve.
n.a section of a track or road that is without curves.
Simple“The runner took the lead on the final straight of the race.”
In context“The race car reached its maximum speed on the long back straight before braking hard for the hairpin turn.”
- 09 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a hand of five cards in a row, like 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
n.a hand containing five cards in numerical sequence, regardless of suit.
Simple“He won the pot because he had a straight and his opponent only had two pairs.”
In context“The tension at the table peaked when the player revealed a king-high straight, beating the three-of-a-kind held by the dealer.”
Synonyms
Usage straight away · straight back · straight line
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”). Cognate with Scots straicht (“straight”), Dutch gestrekt (“stretched”), German gestreckt (“stretched”), Danish strakt (“stretched”), Faroese and Norn strekti (“stretched”), Icelandic strekkti (“stretched”), Norwegian strekte (“stretched”), Swedish sträckte (“stretched”). Doublet of straught. Equivalent to stretch + -ed. In some senses, conflated with strait (“narrow, constricted”), which is from Latin strictus via Old French estreit.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.