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
Relevance
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)
Verb
-
Even better, 2026 is shaping up to be a fantastic time to visit one of the international Disney theme parks.—
Megan duBois,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025 -
Arkansas’ best offense in a decade is being wasted by a defense that is shaping up to be one of the worst in program history.—
Matt Jones,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bibb took to her Instagram story before the annual event, sharing a behind-the-scenes video of Chris McMillan trimming her ends.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Once the tree is installed, state Department of General Services crews will go to work trimming the tree over the next several days.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Across Brazil, nearly three-quarters of citizens believe city climate initiatives are improving both the environment and their daily quality of life.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Mayo is a community activist and nonprofit leader whose organization Transforming Nations Ford focuses on improving the Nations Ford and Arrowood corridor.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This powerful synergy enhances detection, tracking, classification, and identification while also enabling autonomous drone swarm operations, including self-organizing collaboration.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The Church, which is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is best known for organizing pickets at soldiers’ funerals and emblazoning anti-LGBT slogans on protest signs and billboards.—
Lilit Marcus,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Others whisper about amending the 22nd Amendment.—
Dan Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
-
After amending the soil, add a 2 to 3 inch layer of organic mulch to the soil's surface to help slow down moisture evaporation.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Back in classes, arranging speech therapy for Jayden and planning a service at the seminary chapel, Rochelle was swamped.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Roberts tried re-arranging his lineup, inserting Will Smith in the second spot behind Ohtani, while moving Mookie Betts to the third slot ahead of Freddie Freeman.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
30 Oct. 2025
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.
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 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share