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
His legs were broken, straightened, then reset in plaster casts.
—
Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 8 May 2026
West of Hoover Street, the grid reorients itself, straightening into an American-style street grid.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
Each morning, before clients arrive, the apartment is reset—floors vacuumed, curtains straightened, candles lit—so that by the time someone walks in, everything feels effortless.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 7 May 2026
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.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for straighten
Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 8 May 2026
West of Hoover Street, the grid reorients itself, straightening into an American-style street grid.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
Each morning, before clients arrive, the apartment is reset—floors vacuumed, curtains straightened, candles lit—so that by the time someone walks in, everything feels effortless.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 7 May 2026
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.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 May 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 May. 2026.
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