as in to unbend
to cause to follow a line that is without bends or curls
straighten that extension cord—it should be just long enough to reach the wall outlet
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of straighten
Hari Nef’s clavicut is straightened and parted deeply to the side for a refined, elegant feel.
—
Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 7 Apr. 2026
Slowly lower your right arm overhead toward the floor while simultaneously straightening and lowering your left leg a few inches (perform the movement slowly and controlled).
—Jakob Roze, Health, 1 Apr. 2026
All told, 155 miles of winding river were straightened down to 88 miles by the project’s completion.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 30 Mar. 2026
So hot, in fact, that the city is spending $3.5 million on improvements to straighten the four-lane road and prevent cars from veering into yards or over the double yellow.
—Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for straighten
Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 7 Apr. 2026
Slowly lower your right arm overhead toward the floor while simultaneously straightening and lowering your left leg a few inches (perform the movement slowly and controlled).
—Jakob Roze, Health, 1 Apr. 2026
All told, 155 miles of winding river were straightened down to 88 miles by the project’s completion.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 30 Mar. 2026
So hot, in fact, that the city is spending $3.5 million on improvements to straighten the four-lane road and prevent cars from veering into yards or over the double yellow.
—Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for straighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straighten
Verb
-
While rigid machines, vehicles, and robots made of unbending steel, plastic, and composite materials are ideal for most contemporary manufacturing, transport and combat needs, other tasks require far greater flexibility, such as that which animals possess.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 Dec. 2025
-
Without unbending her back, the mother arranges her mouth into a placid line.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
One fall day in 1856, a family of Eastern gray squirrels in rural New York uncurled from a cozy nest in a chestnut tree, looked around, and joined half a billion other squirrels on a multi-state walkabout.—
Christine Peterson,
Vox,
23 Dec. 2024
-
Exhale, lower the bridge down, then uncurl the trunk to bring the right hip and shoulder back to the ground.—
Jen Murphy,
WSJ,
16 June 2022
Cite this Entry
“Straighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straighten. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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