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
  • Ohtani's two-run homer off Ryan Zeferjahn, his 26th, trimmed Chicago's lead to one.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • For example, Mordor Intelligence notes in its Smart Cities Market Report that Singapore’s Smart Nation AI initiative has trimmed average commute times by 11 minutes thanks to a 92% accurate bus-crowding prediction model.
    — Lee-Lean Shu, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of trimmed
Verb
  • The red-hot Red Sox won their eighth straight and 10th of 11 and improved to 31-5 in their last 36 games.
    — LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Research has shown a link between free meal programs and learning, including a 2021 Brookings Institution study that found math performance improved in school districts that qualified for the National School Lunch program.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of improved
Verb
  • The Lennox-Inglewood Tenants Union organized protests before and during the construction of SoFi.
    — Shi Bradley, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
  • In September 2025, Dawson’s Creek costar Michelle Williams organized a one-night only special cast reading of the show’s pilot.
    — Marzia Nicolini, Vanity Fair, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of organized
Verb
  • Later, in 2020, the Children's Trust was amended to allow the Kittrells' son to transfer the trust assets to another trust (including another trust created by the Kittrells), subject to the Kittrells' consent.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Dorsey has said the charter should be amended to give the mayor and City Council more governing flexibility.
    — Joseph Landers, Baltimore Sun, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of amended
Verb
  • The detail arranged the traffic stop on the other side of the island, in front of the Lihue post office, under the assumption that Brun would surrender peacefully in such a public location.
    — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
  • After the living room, Birdie wandered to the dining room, where she was cast into an underwater light, the sun sifting through the plants arranged by the long window.
    — Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of arranged
Verb
  • Axios first reported allegations in May about Edwards allegedly having behaved inappropriately toward his young female staff.
    — Jeff Ballou, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Abdelkader lamented what happened, but said that those who breached the border behaved relatively well.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 2 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 10 Aug. 2026.

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