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.

With Ginsberg, Glass acted as the straight man.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Mir, a high-strung anxious perfectionist, was written as more of the audience stand-in, the straight man.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 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

Jadeja is a nice contrast - steady, quick, chipping away, the straight man to Ashwin's varied expressions.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2024

He’s known as a straight man, and my having him helped to disarm suspicion; I’ll admit that I found him useful in that respect.

From The Secret of the Reef by Bindloss, Harold