straighten out

phrasal verb

straightened out; straightening out; straightens out

1

: to make (something) straight or to become straight

You need to straighten out your legs for this stretch.

The river curves and then straightens out again.

2

: to make (something) organized or tidy : to put (something) in order

He took time to straighten out the papers on his desk.

3

: to deal with (something) successfully

I need more time to straighten out my problems.

4

: to improve in behavior or condition or to cause (someone or something) to improve in behavior or condition

He straightened out after joining the army.

The problem will not straighten out on its own.

You need to straighten your life out.

Her parents sent her to boarding school to straighten her out.

Examples of straighten out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Pearson was convicted of second-degree murder and served nearly seven years at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Jessup, Md. After her release, Pearson tried straightening out her life. —Jonathan Abrams, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024

But if this overtime business isn’t straightened out by June, voters may have second thoughts in November. —Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2024

The city needs to straighten out its spending priorities. —The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024

At the beginning of Season 1, an abusive partner is straightened out before Reacher has even uttered a word: Reacher just has to stand in a diner parking lot and stare at him. —James Parker, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2024

The move is the administration’s latest attempt to straighten out a process that has been marred by errors after student loan payments restarted in October. —Collin Binkley, Twin Cities, 5 Jan. 2024

The mix-up was straightened out with the help of a bottle of whiskey and a group of Western news correspondents who happened to be there, including A.J. Liebling, the celebrated American journalist for The New Yorker. —Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2024

The Boston Bruins doused the festive vibes on New Year's Eve at Little Caesars Arena with consecutive goals, but the Wings kept taking shots until that was straightened out. —Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, 31 Dec. 2023

This device comes with a round brush and paddle brush for adding volume and straightening out any kinks. —Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 26 Nov. 2023