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
  • Fall 2026 is shaping up to be a major season for statement footwear, but one of the most polished trends, the high-vamp pump, is surprisingly understated.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • May was a dry month, but every other month since February has been wetter than normal, and August is shaping up to be the same.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaping up
Verb
  • Haskell's team is also staying high in quality and coupons, trimming lower-coupon exposures in favor of those that are upward of 5% that the firm thinks are better poised to handle periods of market uncertainty.
    — Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Cut the fennel bulbs into quarters, trimming just a bit of the core (leave enough to hold the layers together), then slice thin.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of trimming
Verb
  • However, student well-being initially declined before improving in later years, while average test scores, attendance, classroom attention and reported online bullying changed little.
    — Kavin Bendre, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Despite rising costs, borrowers are showing more discipline by paying down debt and improving credit scores.
    — Sharon Wu, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of improving
Verb
  • His campaign spent the summer ramping up fundraising, staff and organizing infrastructure.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Others are organizing underground schools to fill gaps in education and collaborating closely with Afghans in exile to prepare legal action against the Taliban’s abuses.
    — Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of organizing
Verb
  • Now the village is discussing amending the village’s code to insert guidelines on commercial filming/photography.
    — Steve Zalusky, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Supervisors Nate Miley and Haubert said the poll was a good start toward understanding the community’s interest in amending Measure D, but the county needed to build greater consensus before attempting to ease its land-use restrictions.
    — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of amending
Verb
  • After retiring from working in 2019, Norris enjoyed growing and arranging flowers from her yard.
    — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The morning of the wedding could be spent escaping the madness for a moment of peace among the trees, or arranging a pre-wedding morning coffee overlooking the estate.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 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 17 Aug. 2026.

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