Straightedge Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms straightedge American [streyt-ej] / ˈstreɪtˌɛdʒ /

noun

1. a bar or strip of wood, plastic, or metal having at least one long edge of sufficiently reliable straightness for use in drawing or testing straight lines, plane surfaces, etc.

straightedge British / ˈstreɪtˌɛdʒ /

noun

1. a stiff strip of wood or metal that has one edge straight and true and is used for ruling and testing straight lines

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• straightedged adjective

Etymology

Origin of straightedge

First recorded in 1805–15; straight + edge

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.

And though the forms are simple, straightedge and mostly quadrilateral, they’re handled in ways that hint at 3D perspective.

From Washington Post

Hunter is as straightedge as they come, but he’s, er, a difficult child.

From Washington Post

A straightedge can be used to extend a line segment in any direction, and a compass can be used to draw a circle with any radius from the chosen center.

From Scientific American

Check your wall surface using a straightedge to make sure it’s flat.

From Seattle Times

It is one of only three three-digit numbers that “have the property that the regular n-sided polygon can be constructed by straightedge and compass,” he said.

From Washington Post

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.