1
as in improves
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 trims
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 straightens (up or out)
Verb
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At the same time, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is among those who forecast 50% of entry-level jobs may be wiped out by AI as the technology improves, including being able to work eight-hour shifts without a break.—
Trevor Laurence Jockims,
CNBC,
7 Sep. 2025 -
Maria’s relationship with Sylvia improves, as well as with the deputy head Sam (Jacob Anderson, completely unrecognizable from his Game of Thrones era), with whom Maria used to be in a romantic relationship.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Skip the pricey groomer visits and messy bathroom trims with this Labor Day deal.—
Jessie Quinn,
USA Today,
1 Sep. 2025
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The move trims the quarterback room down to four players, including Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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However, at the atomic scale, gold behaves in ways that are far more valuable to science than to fashion.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
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In dog stories, a dog gives unbounded love and is the best possible friend and behaves heroically—and then the dog dies.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
6 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Straightens (up or out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straightens%20%28up%20or%20out%29. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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