straighten out

phrasal verb

straightened out; straightening out; straightens out

1

: to make (something) straight or to become straight

You need to straighten out your legs for this stretch.

The river curves and then straightens out again.

2

: to make (something) organized or tidy : to put (something) in order

He took time to straighten out the papers on his desk.

3

: to deal with (something) successfully

I need more time to straighten out my problems.

4

: to improve in behavior or condition or to cause (someone or something) to improve in behavior or condition

He straightened out after joining the army.

The problem will not straighten out on its own.

You need to straighten your life out.

Her parents sent her to boarding school to straighten her out.

Examples of straighten out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With the help of an active steering committee, West straightened out the finances and put Metafilter on a path to becoming a nonprofit. —Steven Levy, WIRED, 12 July 2024

In 2013, then-Chief of Department Philip Banks, in a 10-page memo, outlined a crackdown on sloppy cops, urging officers to shine their shoes, cover their tattoos and straighten out their caps. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2024

In my testing, this feature did a great job of straightening out perspective without warping people's faces. —PCMAG, 30 May 2024

Keep in Mind The water hose arrived coiled and wanted to retain its shape rather than straighten out. —Brittany Vanderbill, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 May 2024