A type of trolling where the Troller attempts to pwn someone by claiming something they said means something totally different to what that actually meant.
Innocent Person: "I think it is important that school children wear school uniforms".
Strawmanning Person: "Hitler believed in people wearing uniforms, are you trying to make all children Nazis?"
Innocent Person: No, that is not at all what I meant!
Strawmanning Person: Ha! I pwned you!
Strawmanning Person: "Hitler believed in people wearing uniforms, are you trying to make all children Nazis?"
Innocent Person: No, that is not at all what I meant!
Strawmanning Person: Ha! I pwned you!
by Netal Beattie November 16, 2011
to incorrectly and unfairly make an opponent's argument seem as if it hold no water or has no weight nor bearing, as if the argument were a man, it would be easy to pushover. From a logic error when breaking down arguments, the "strawman" response to an argument.
Bush claimed that by voting down weapons ordinances, Kerry was against national defense, but he had really just strawmanized Kerry's argument.
by charliemiller February 02, 2005
1. Any political issue that holds little or no importance intended to sway voters, usually by fear.
2. A manufactured resistance to an issue, related to astroturfing.
3. A scapegoat.
2. A manufactured resistance to an issue, related to astroturfing.
3. A scapegoat.
by Captain Neatoman October 17, 2004
by fred May 11, 2003
A word people on the internet use when they are presented with an example that they have no comeback to.
Person 1: "Look at prohibition when they banned alcohol more people started drinking. Don't you think that happens with drugs too?"
Person 2: "WOW WHAT A STRAWMAN I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO REPLY TO THAT IDIOT!!!"
Person 2: "WOW WHAT A STRAWMAN I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO REPLY TO THAT IDIOT!!!"
by SomeNameIguess October 16, 2020
Creating a caricature for your opposition so you don't have to contest with the actual arguments. Willfully misrepresenting an argument so you don't have to be wrong.
He used words to prove I was wrong. So, I ignored what he said and created a strawman to beat up on in front of my friends. They will agree with whatever I say because of course they are going to believe me over them. And they saw me beat up that strawman so they don't see any reason to listen to what he has to say. They will never know the difference between what his actual argument was and the strawman I created to represent their argument.
by Hym Iam December 04, 2020