straightaway

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparable

   Without any delay; at once.

   Grammar: Usually follows the verb: I called straightaway.

   Patterns

   • do something straightaway
   • leave straightaway

   Please call me straightaway if there is a problem.

   He saw the mistake straightaway and corrected it.

   We left the house straightaway after the news.

2. 2nouncountableAmerican

   A straight section of a road or racetrack.

   Grammar: Can be counted: the long straightaway.

   Patterns

   • the home straightaway
   • a long straightaway

   The car sped down the long straightaway.

   Runners gained speed on the final straightaway.

   The road has a mile-long straightaway before the bend.

Word forms

Common combinations

leave straightaway

We have to leave straightaway.

reply straightaway

She replied straightaway to the email.

know straightaway

I knew straightaway it was a mistake.

back straightaway

I will be back straightaway.

final straightaway

He sprinted the final straightaway.

Synonyms and how they differ

immediately

Immediately is slightly more formal and emphatic than straightaway.

at once

At once is a short phrase meaning the same, sometimes used to stress urgency.

right away

Right away is the usual American form and means the same but is more casual.

instantly

Instantly suggests something happening in a flash, quicker than straightaway.

Opposites

Word family

straight adjective

not curved

straight away adverb

two-word spelling of the same adverb

straightforward adjective

simple and easy to understand

straighten verb

to make straight

Commonly confused: straightaway or straightforward?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “straightaway”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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