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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Recent Examples of straighten
Swap them out for wavy blowouts, straightened hair, and more styles.
—
Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Make sure the tires reconnect with the road - During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2025
The 21-year-old appeared in court on Tuesday wearing a red dress, red lipstick and her long blonde locks straightened.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2025
Se-ri comes up with a plan to get an expensive hair straightening treatment that involves helping out a transfer student from Seoul, named Han Yun-Seok (Gong Myung).
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straighten
Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Make sure the tires reconnect with the road - During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2025
The 21-year-old appeared in court on Tuesday wearing a red dress, red lipstick and her long blonde locks straightened.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2025
Se-ri comes up with a plan to get an expensive hair straightening treatment that involves helping out a transfer student from Seoul, named Han Yun-Seok (Gong Myung).
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straighten
Verb
-
The social hierarchy is unbending, but Flora knows she is destined for something greater, even though this puts her at odds with her superiors.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
29 July 2025
-
Ceaseless in his service, unbending in his dignity, and revered for his commitment to our common humanity.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
29 Dec. 2024
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 18 Sep. 2025.
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