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
-
The year is still young, but 2026 is already shaping up as a memorable one for jazz in San Diego with a record number of spring concerts in store.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026 -
Saturday is shaping up to be the cooler and wetter half of the weekend; afternoon temperatures peak in the 50s and lower 60s.—
Cutter Martin,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ryan can't score after trimming more clock.—
American-Statesman staff,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Despite being outshot through the first two periods, the Cougars hung tough before trimming the Moorhead lead to just one early in the third.—
Frank Rajkowski,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The decrease solidified an improving trend over the prior two years, which saw only slight increases.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Is there an opening for improving things?—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Drucilla Ramirez, a third grade bilingual teacher and organizing chair for the union, said some classes have as many as 34 students and teachers don’t have aides in the classroom.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The most common uses reported were answering etiquette questions, managing timelines and to-dos, writing wedding website copy, and organizing budgets.—
Shelby Wax,
Vogue,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As such, Vietnam is drawing down duties on oil by amending the preferential import tax for gasoline, diesel, and gasoline production raw materials.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Those changes include amending the contract for unionized laborers to have them all under the public works umbrella, with some assigned to the street department and some to the parks department.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Authorities conducted a sting operation in September, arranging to meet her in a hotel room that Mays rented.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
All that interior volume should inspire some serious creativity in terms of arranging different floor plans.—
C.C. Weiss
March 05,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
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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 12 Mar. 2026.
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