straightening (up or out)

verb

present participle of straighten (up or out)
1
as in shaping 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 trimming
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 straightening (up or out)
  1. shaping up
  2. trimming
  3. improving
  4. organizing
  5. amending
  6. arranging
Verb
  • The stacked bob is shaping up to be one of summer’s biggest hair trends, thanks to its chic, shorter length and volume-boosting shape.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 23 July 2026
  • Without providing an exact number, the secretary’s office noted that voter turnout is shaping up to be pretty strong, as compared to previous cycles.
    — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Definition of shaping up
Verb
  • Rather than just trimming stems and plopping them in a vase, reflexing plays with the form of the flower by gently folding petals backwards to open up the bloom.
    — Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 18 July 2026
  • Even the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are still sitting on a huge haul of future draft capital, had to start trimming their supporting cast this offseason because Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams’ max extensions kicked in.
    — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of trimming
Verb
  • Corson said raising the minimum wage and building more housing are both part of the solution for improving affordability.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026
  • By selling more games digitally, the company has less need to manufacture physical boxes, and physical discs are eliminated completely, improving profit margins.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 22 July 2026
Definition of improving
Verb
  • The director of the 2028 iteration of the Aichi Triennale, one of the largest international art festivals in Japan, will be Shabbir Hussain Mustafa, the event’s organizing committee announced on Friday.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 24 July 2026
  • In April, Ukraine imposed sanctions on five Russian cultural figures involved in organizing the country’s contribution.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 24 July 2026
Definition of organizing
Verb
  • Congress reacted to that ruling by amending the act to create the incidental take program.
    — Patrick Parenteau, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
  • Recently, the Illinois Register proposed amending the administrative code to update the definitions of the various alcohol categories solely by their production process — not their alcohol content.
    — Adam Hoffer, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of amending
Verb
  • In an Instagram Story shared on her official page, the Duchess of Sussex could be seen slicing strawberries into heart shapes and arranging them on a red swirl bagel with a pink spread.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
  • Hamilton devoted herself to making sense of the stories, arranging them in some kind of order and sequence, ironing out contradictions.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
Definition of arranging
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

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

“Straightening (up or out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straightening%20%28up%20or%20out%29. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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