poker face

noun

plural poker faces
: an inscrutable face that reveals no hint of a person's thoughts or feelings
Wright has a terrific poker face—I could see how he was able to keep things a secret right up through publication.Lawrence Weschler
Work is fun. I can lose myself in it, I laugh a lot, I feel like I'm very much myself here; there's no poker face.Jerry Useem
especially : one used strategically during a poker game
… a good "poker face" is considered a prerequisite for a successful gambling career. Sarah Ferguson
Fifteen-year-old Matthew Siegel says learning to keep a poker face while playing Texas Hold 'em with his grandfather … has served him well at school. The Wall Street Journal
poker-faced adjective
… the jurors, uniformly poker-faced through-out the proceedings, were giving no indication of whether they accepted that characterization. Lawrence Weschler

Examples of poker face in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Much like the ancient celebration of Samhain (All Hallows’ Eve), Scorpios are masters of subtlety and their quiet stillness more than often belies what’s actually stirring beneath the surface of their perpetual poker face. Valerie Mesa, People.com, 23 Oct. 2024 Papa, papa-razzi photos from the Joker: Folie à Deux set showed Lady Gaga's poker face locking lips with another woman while filming a key scene from the musical thriller — but the moment didn't make it into the final cut. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 7 Oct. 2024 As men we are trained to put on a poker face and hide our emotions. Marc Berman, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024 For Cumming, maintaining a poker face while knowing exactly who is lying to their peers is the biggest challenge. Tyler Coates, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for poker face 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poker face.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

poker entry 2; from the poker player's need to conceal emotions during play

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of poker face was in 1874

Dictionary Entries Near poker face

Cite this Entry

“Poker face.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poker%20face. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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