straighten (up or out)

1
as in to improve
to change one's behavior or character for the better I hope that rehab will help her straighten up for good

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straighten (up or out)
Verb
  • Skilled operators will harness technology to improve efficiency and resilience.
    Maurice Obeid, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The divine-smelling duo pumps up thin strands like any volumizing formula, but then uses botanical extracts (pea sprout) and Capixyl (made from a biomimetic peptide and red clover extract) to improve scalp health.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Control expenses This means trimming or eliminating the costs that don’t directly impact growth, profitability, or long-term sustainability of your business.
    Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • To save money in 2026, MetroConnect will drop some low-ridership zones, trim operating hours and impose a three-mile cap on trips, said Natalia Jaramillo, communications director for Levine Cava.
    Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Texas Senate race is shaping up to be a crowded one with competitive primaries on both the Republican and Democratic sides.
    Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Saturday is shaping up to be a repeat.
    Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Zhmo Canvas Tote Bag Finding a work bag that checks every box—fits your laptop, holds your lunch and water bottle, keeps things organized, and still looks stylish—is no small feat.
    Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
  • This became clear from talking—between watching sail races—to those involved with organizing a Rolex SailGP event in France.
    Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The agenda includes legislation to amend the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act and reauthorize the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program at $60,000,000 through 2032.
    Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Wiener’s bill was recently amended to apply to only local and federal law enforcement agents.
    Devan Patel, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The bill conflates ethics with tax relief and reinforces the idea that lawmakers need a sweet treat to behave ethically.
    Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Virtually nothing was known about how chimpanzees behaved in the wild at that time.
    Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • North was convicted in 1989 on three felony charges for helping to arrange the illicit sale of weapons to Iran and divert the proceeds to fund a secret war against anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
    Josh Meyer, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Wegovy injection pens arranged in Waterbury, Vermont, US, on Monday, April 28, 2025.
    Karen Gilchrist,Katrina Bishop, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Postecoglou, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic manager, saw his side bettered by an Arsenal team that will surely be among the Premier League title contenders, thanks to two goals from Martin Zubimendi and another from Viktor Gyokeres.
    Paul Taylor, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The new Siri will be able to better fulfill queries by tapping into the open web, on-screen content and a user’s data.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Straighten (up or out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straighten%20%28up%20or%20out%29. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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