straighten (up or out)

1
as in to improve
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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straighten (up or out)
Verb
  • Redirecting the uptake of nutrients to roots, leaves, and new flower buds instead of spent blooms can improve the health and vigor of the plant.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 July 2025
  • Colorado district attorneys who spoke with The Post said such deportations are not in the interest of justice and do not improve public safety over the long term.
    Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • Some might have trimmed guest lists — not for space, but to cut the grocery bill.
    Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2025
  • The hue of your walls, trim, and ceiling can either clash or complement your upholstery, drapery, and art.
    Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 2 July 2025
Verb
  • Before Saturday Night’s Main Event, one likely scenario that was shaping up was Punk and Reigns teaming up to take on Rollins and one member of his faction at SummerSlam.
    Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
  • With the back-to-school shopping season already underway, Deloitte and PWC have released reports giving insights into this year’s consumer sentiment and how the major spending season is set to shape up.
    Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • The local hospitality workers’ union, Unite Here Local 49, had organized residents of the two apartment complexes that have opened in the Railyards over the past year — The A.J. and The Wong Center.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2025
  • Other producers organized these tastings as well; Napa Valley, if anyone doubted, was a source for world class wines.
    Tom Hyland, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • The agreement will automatically renew through June unless the parties amend it sooner.
    Nicholas Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2025
  • Already, some of the challengers to Mr. Trump's birthright citizenship policy have amended or filed new lawsuits as class-actions.
    Melissa Quinn July 9, CBS News, 9 July 2025
Verb
  • Now, another Russian satellite is behaving in the same way, with a mothership opening up to release a smaller object that could in turn reveal its own surprise inside like a Matryoshka nesting doll.
    Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 11 July 2025
  • Because Ireland is an Anglophone country with large diasporas located in the United Kingdom and the United States, it is assumed that politics should behave a little bit like the two nations who pump so much influence back into it through the mass media produced in London, New York, and Hollywood.
    Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • Horowitz spent decades arranging for Sondheim’s archives to come to the Library of Congress.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 July 2025
  • The controversy comes at a time the United States is trying to arrange a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
    Amira El-Fekki‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • The performance, which bettered Wilson’s former U18 best of 44.20 from last year at the Holloway Pro Classic, moved the rising high school senior and Olympic gold medalist to No. 4 in the world at the distance.
    Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
  • Research has shown that expressing gratitude provides many health benefits including reducing depression, improving self-esteem, bettering sleep, lowering blood pressure and an increased sense of happiness and well-being.
    Rafael James, Sun Sentinel, 24 June 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.

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Cite this Entry

“Straighten (up or out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straighten%20%28up%20or%20out%29. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

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