straighten (up)

verb

Definition of straighten (up)next
as in to tidy (up)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straighten (up)
  1. make up
  2. draw up
  3. lay out
Verb
  • In their economic report for the next three years, USC researchers forecast that rents will rise in all of the counties that make up Southern California.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • White players make up roughly 17% of the league, compared with about 75% for Black players.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of make up
Verb
  • In some respects, intimacy comes easily, as community members like Ellie and Tomas offer a helping hand to whomever is in need—yet Jack is alone for a long time, drawn up North by his wife who was desperate for solitude.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Blount drew up a play to inbound to forward Jose Roberto Tanchyn, who had two options – Jevon Hill in the near corner and Stromer running off a screen from the opposite corner.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of draw up
Verb
  • During the latest Swamp Things, Edgar and Mark lay out the laundry list of concerns that were impossible to ignore Saturday night.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Concretely lay out the challenges, along with actions to rectify the situation.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of lay out
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.

Browse Nearby Words

straightens (up or out)
straighten (up)
straighten (up or out)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Straighten (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straighten%20%28up%29. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All