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
-
E-commerce transactions are managed end-to-end without friction, from building a shopping cart and applying discounts to arranging delivery and processing returns.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Join Chloe Mullen, a junior at Cathedral Catholic High School and member of the National Honor Society, for a special flower arranging workshop.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Nov. 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 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share