straightened (up or out)

verb

past tense of straighten (up or out)
1
as in shaped up
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
as in trimmed
to make neat a directive for everyone to straighten up their cubicle in preparation for a visit from some corporate VIPs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straightened (up or out)
  1. shaped up
  2. trimmed
  3. improved
  4. organized
  5. amended
  6. arranged
  7. behaved
Verb
  • Stacey Barchenger Warren Petersen and Rodney Glassman crisscrossed the state for more than a year courting Republican voters in what shaped up to be a bruising primary election race.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 21 July 2026
  • In Texas, a heated and expensive race has shaped up between Democrat James Talarico, a state representative who is facing Republican Ken Paxton, the state attorney general.
    — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of shaped up
Verb
  • If neither is ready, Washington’s options would be limited to veteran free agents — the pool of players waived when rosters are trimmed on Sunday — or a potential trade.
    — Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Their hold on the top National League wild-card spot has been trimmed to just two games over the Philadelphia Phillies, who are riding an eight-game winning streak, though the Cubs have the season tiebreaker.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of trimmed
Verb
  • Beijing’s endorsement of DeepSeek and Liang has also helped open doors and improved their access to marquee listings.
    — Anniek Bao,Elaine Yu, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Robinson’s ability to set the edge in the run game seems much improved.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of improved
Verb
  • Victor Gabriel Tourinho Camargo, a Brazilian content creator known as Uvitinho, organized several tournaments in the city of Suzano.
    — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Lloyd, 74, was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in March, according to a GoFundMe organized by his friend and Richard Lloyd Group bassist Sean Seymour.
    — sameen, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of organized
Verb
  • Subsequent constitutional changes in 1990 amended the accession rules to allow for the eldest child, regardless of gender, to accede to the throne.
    — James Frater, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The case against the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was amended Thursday to add citations for possessing open intoxicants in a motor vehicle, unsafe passing on the right and first-offense operating while intoxicated.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of amended
Verb
  • Palestinians and Lebanese displaced by the 1967 war were joining relatives or acquaintances in Dearborn, and residents arranged food and medical services for the new arrivals.
    — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Solano also arranged for 30 Jackson patients to go to the 14-bed Dulce Hogar ALF on Northwest 26th Avenue between 2016 and the end of 2023.
    — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of arranged
Verb
  • According to Briones, the pair initially entered the restaurant and behaved like regular customers.
    — Ivan Taylor, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The incident was quickly followed by a slew of other companies reporting instances where AI agents behaved in unexpected ways.
    — Tom Matsuda, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of behaved
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

straightened (up)
straightened (up or out)
straightening
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Cite this Entry

“Straightened (up or out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straightened%20%28up%20or%20out%29. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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