straightens (up or out)

verb

present tense third-person singular of straighten (up or out)
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

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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)
  1. improves
  2. trims
  3. behaves
  4. amends
  5. reforms
Verb
  • Communities will debate whether AI improves access to knowledge or deepens dependence on a few private platforms.
    — Gerui Wang, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • A couple of other gaming headsets, including SteelSeries' Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, have swappable batteries, but Glorious' approach improves upon that with its little internal battery that keeps you connected and in the game while swapping.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of improves
Verb
  • Spink’s optimism about the growth opportunities in Saudi Arabia comes even as the kingdom trims capital expenditure, cuts some projects, and limits spending on foreign consultants.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
  • Coppola's preferred version of the film, Final Cut, removes or trims a handful of sequences, including the exchange between Willard (Martin Sheen) and the Playboy Playmates, and Kurtz (Marlon Brando) reading from TIME magazine.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
Definition of trims
Verb
  • In effect, the surrounding environment behaves like an unintended detector that continually checks the qubits’ state, even though nobody is intentionally measuring them.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 25 July 2026
  • Unlike a felt-tip pen, which delivers a relatively consistent line, a brush liner behaves more like a tiny paintbrush.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 24 July 2026
Definition of behaves
Verb
  • The legislation now before Parliament amends a law passed in that same period, intended to deter organized malpractice and protect the credibility of public examinations.
    — Penny Abeywardena, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The measure amends the city's general plan and land use framework to add a citywide ban on data centers, according to city officials.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Definition of amends
Verb
  • There’s that churro bread pudding, the one with a junkyard origin story that breaks down the churros and then reforms them into a dense and perfect block as powerful as an Avengers movie prop.
    — Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Kentucky's General Assembly has passed House Bill 2, which reforms the state's Medicaid program.
    — Keely Doll, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of reforms
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

straightens (up)
straightens (up or out)
straighten (up)
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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 4 Aug. 2026.

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