neaten

verb neat·en \ ˈnē-tᵊn \

Definition of neaten

neatened; neatening play \ˈnēt-niŋ, ˈnē-tᵊn-iŋ\

transitive verb

1 :to set in order :make neat

2 :to finish (something, such as a piece of sewing) carefully

See neaten defined for English-language learners

Examples of neaten in a Sentence

I am trying to neaten my desk.
neatened the living room in anticipation of company

Recent Examples of neaten from the Web

Plants grow a tremendous amount during an Alaska June and now is the time to neaten things up.

— jeff lowenfels, Alaska Dispatch News, "Don’t plant mayday trees. Don’t even let your existing ones remain.," 23 June 2017
Her short chapters ingeniously double back on themselves in much the same way a drawer of sweaters, neatened up by Kondo, are pleated and flattened to accordion-sharp perfection.

— maureen corrigan, The Denver Post, "New novel by “Girl on the Train” writer fails to thrill," 4 May 2017
Step 2: Furniture Fabric Go through the house and strip and remake beds; neaten any pillows or furniture blankets.

— arianne cohen, Woman's Day, "There's Now A Quicker Way to Clean Your House," 16 Mar. 2017
Let the slices fall to your cutting board, and don’t be tempted to neaten them.

— gabrielle hamilton, New York Times, "On Your Way to Your New Year’s Self," 29 Dec. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'neaten.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of neaten

1828

neaten Synonyms

Synonyms

pick up, redd (up or out) [chiefly dialect], spruce (up), straighten (up or out), tidy (up), trim

Related Words

arrange, array, classify, codify, dispose, draw up, marshal (also marshall), order, organize, range, systematize

Near Antonyms

disarrange, disarray, discompose, dishevel, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb, jumble, mess (up), mix (up), muddle, muss, rumple, scramble, shuffle, tousle, tumble, upset

NEATEN Defined for English Language Learners

neaten

verb

Definition of neaten for English Language Learners

: to make (something) orderly or neat : to clean up (something)

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neaten

Definition of neaten

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