straw man
noun
1
: a weak or imaginary opposition (such as an argument or adversary) set up only to be easily confuted
2
: a person set up to serve as a cover for a usually questionable transaction
Examples of straw man in a Sentence
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These are straw man fallacies, falsely implying that acknowledging and celebrating the full range of backgrounds, identities and family structures kids bring to the classroom will somehow crowd out instruction time.
—
Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
The true villain is Zac, who is really just a straw man for the Mormon church.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 16 May 2025
Tapper's stutter straw man is easily knocked over with just a few undeniable truths: reading stage directions out loud repeatedly isn't stuttering.
—Mark R. Weaver, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
This opening skit is a voicemail worrying about singer Tyler Hubbard’s choice of car, creating a straw man argument to segue into the first song.
—Brendan Hay, SPIN, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straw man
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Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
The true villain is Zac, who is really just a straw man for the Mormon church.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 16 May 2025
Tapper's stutter straw man is easily knocked over with just a few undeniable truths: reading stage directions out loud repeatedly isn't stuttering.
—Mark R. Weaver, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
This opening skit is a voicemail worrying about singer Tyler Hubbard’s choice of car, creating a straw man argument to segue into the first song.
—Brendan Hay, SPIN, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straw man
Cite this Entry
“Straw man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straw%20man. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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