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

2

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straighten (up or out)
Verb
  • Now is the time to improve your home’s ability to withstand hurricanes.
    Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
  • To be fair to Apple, many AI techniques can be found in iOS over the last decade—machine learning to improve photographs being an obvious one that impacts the user experience.
    Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In the case of the plastic eel, trim the tail to a slim taper.
    Anthony A. Ciuffa, Outdoor Life, 7 Aug. 2025
  • To see if your rose bush is dying or just dormant, trim a cane that looks dead and cut away some of the bark.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The sixth annual Geneva Watch Days, scheduled for September 4-7, is shaping up to be the premier event in the watch industry, or at least the most fun.
    Carol Besler, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
  • The 2025 runoff season in the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado's headwaters, is shaping up to be the seventh-driest since 1963, when the government built Glen Canyon Dam and formed Lake Powell.
    Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Pocan has in recent weeks crossed congressional lines into Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District to hold town hall events and last week, organized an event in Van Orden's hometown of Prairie du Chien.
    Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • That breakthrough was thanks to Kathy Shank, a volunteer clerk who helped file and organize tips related to the investigation.
    Kelsey Lentz, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Meta has since amended the guidelines, but critics say the changes came only after public exposure and do not go far enough to safeguard children.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
  • So instead, the Democrat from Queens has introduced a resolution to amend the state constitution.
    The NPR Network, NPR, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Scientists are still trying to understand how clouds behave and how tiny aerosol particles impact their ability to reflect sunlight and produce rain.
    Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 17 Aug. 2025
  • This is one of those in-between wines—not quite a of a white, kind of an orange wine, but really behaves like a rose.
    Lana Bortolot, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • As a fixer, Miguel has arranged interviews with El Mayo’s inner circle.
    Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Interested buyers, their representatives or brokers can arrange for special tours.
    Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • That small accomplishment alone, which isn’t actually so small, always serves to better my headspace when too busy with other things to fully deep-clean every surface, bathroom, and cluttered cabinet.
    Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Eight appearances in his first season were bettered by 23 in the next.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 31 July 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 21 Aug. 2025.

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