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

After the weekly meetings, Dev would walk around Ballard Estate to straighten out his back. —Kanak Kapur, The New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2025

Once spring football is straightened out, the portal could move out of December. —Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024

So if Sacco cannot straighten out the team by year’s end, the permanent position does not necessarily belong to him. —Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024

Clippers forward Kris Dunn knows all too well how an intended path can switch up quickly or take 10 years to straighten out. —Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 2 Dec. 2024