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
  • There are also chocolate brown ballet flats—a rich neutral that’s shaping up to be everywhere this season—plus deals from Sorel, Adidas, and Allswifit, the affordable brand shoppers often compare to Hoka.
    — Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2026
  • New Hampshire’s premier Senate race is on after party leaders secured their top choices in what’s shaping up to be one of the tightest contests in the entire country come November.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of shaping up
Verb
  • Landlords Even before legislation banning institutional investors from purchasing more single-family homes became law, the eight largest Wall Street landlords were trimming their portfolios.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The changes include cutting small teams consisting of one to two reports by nearly half and trimming employees seven steps away from the CEO by 20%.
    — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of trimming
Verb
  • Many of the biggest AI safety fears revolve around advanced models getting increasingly capable at improving their own performance, a technique known as recursive self-improvement, or RSI.
    — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The numbers don’t favor an improving team in that regard — but remember, the Cowboys should have top quarterback play, top receivers, good-to-great offensive line play and a good-to-great run game.
    — Zak Keefer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of improving
Verb
  • It’s created a growing flag football industry, with companies like RCX and iFlag finding success organizing youth tournaments, high-school talent showcases and international competitions.
    — Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • This can make arranging the tray feel more like a fun creative project than a tedious organizing one.
    — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of organizing
Verb
  • Assembly Bill 113 was the last budget trailer bill to pass through the Legislature during this session, amending the 2026-27 budget to allocate additional funds to issue areas such as healthcare, housing and disaster relief, among others.
    — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The complex legislation — added by gutting and amending a bill known as Senate Bill 492 — was introduced less than three days before the legislative session was to end Monday.
    — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of amending
Verb
  • The case turned into a years-long legal saga, with multiple people convicted of their roles in arranging the hit, including Wendi’s brother, Charlie Adelson, and her mother, Donna.
    — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Britain’s populist Reform UK said two senior aides to leader Nigel Farage stepped down on Friday after an undercover investigation alleged the party had broken electoral law by arranging for a foreign donor to pay for political polling.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 4 Sep. 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 14 Sep. 2026.

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