straighten (up or out)

Definition of straighten (up or out)next
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
  • Sacramento improved to 4-9 in back-to-back situations 24 hours after beating the Los Angeles Clippers.
    Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 16 Mar. 2026
  • The completion of the project reflects continued efforts by RTX and Raytheon to expand manufacturing capacity, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen the technological capabilities that support national and allied security.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The city is on track to release a catalogue of eight pre-approved designs this year to streamline the process and trim costs on homeowners.
    Mark Dee March 12, Idaho Statesman, 12 Mar. 2026
  • How To Dethatch Your Lawn The day before dethatching, mow your lawn as usual to trim the grass and remove excess debris from the lawn, then water the lawn lightly.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Okay, let’s get into all else that went down on episode 3 of Survivor 50 in what is shaping up to be an unbelievable season so far.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
  • The dismissal prematurely ended what was shaping up to be a strong outing for Brown, who had eight points, seven assists and two rebounds in 15 minutes.
    Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Below is a recap of the C-suite developments at America’s highest-revenue-generating companies announced between March 7–13, 2026 organized by sector.
    Fortune Editors, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
  • In the first part of the film, Grossman rewinds the tapes of the 1996 trip, organized by a Brazilian civil servant and Swedish journalist Erling Söderström to meet the Korubo tribe, who chose to live far away from civilization.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • But whether House leaders will accept the changes, amend the Senate bill or go to conference over the differing versions remains to be seen.
    Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
  • The Florida House amended Senate Bill 484 to allow government officials to sign nondisclosure agreements with data center companies.
    Emily L. Mahoney, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • That’s how robots will be expected to behave in the real world.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Infectious disease experts and doctors said federal policies have left health care workers to lean on their own experience or guidance from their state public health systems to fight a disease that many are preparing to see for the first time and that initially may behave like the common cold.
    Andrew Jones, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • From his first run with the Academy Awards arranging team in 2008, Walden was hooked; the job seamlessly blended his favorite parts about film scoring and classical composing.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
  • In this model, the debt consolidation program combines multiple debts — typically high-rate credit card balances — into a single monthly obligation, often through a personal loan arranged by a partner lender or debt relief company.
    Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Patients are in a tug-of-war with a technology that could better their health, or compromise it.
    Marissa Martinez, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Teams have to respect Moore’s speed, athleticism and downfield reception ability, and that certainly helped to better the overall passing environment.
    Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
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 17 Mar. 2026.

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