| English Dictionary |
STRAW MAN
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| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does straw man mean?
• STRAW MAN (noun)
The noun STRAW MAN has 3 senses:
1. a person used as a cover for some questionable activity
2. a weak or sham argument set up to be easily refuted
3. an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
Familiarity information: STRAW MAN used as a noun is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
A person used as a cover for some questionable activity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
figurehead; front; front man; nominal head; straw man; strawman
Hypernyms ("straw man" is a kind of...):
beguiler; cheat; cheater; deceiver; slicker; trickster (someone who leads you to believe something that is not true)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A weak or sham argument set up to be easily refuted
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
straw man; strawman
Hypernyms ("straw man" is a kind of...):
specious argument (an argument that appears good at first view but is really fallacious)
Sense 3
Meaning:
An effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
bird-scarer; scarecrow; scarer; straw man; strawman
Hypernyms ("straw man" is a kind of...):
effigy; image; simulacrum (a representation of a person (especially in the form of sculpture))
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Walk beside me that we may be as one." (Native American proverb, Ute)
"If you reach for the highest of ideals, you shouldn't settle for less than the stars" (Arabic proverb)
"Long live the headdress, because hats come and go." (Corsican proverb)