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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Samsung started straightening out the Galaxy S series with the S22, and Google’s latest Pixel 9 phones all feature flat edges. Allison Johnson, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2024 Tonini said witnesses saw the plane begin to straighten out near the roadway while seemingly searching for a place to land. Keisha Rowe, The Courier-Journal, 11 Oct. 2024 The holds will allow crews to blast and clear rock from the hillsides as part of the I-70 realignment project near Floyd Hill that will replace bridges over Clear Creek and straighten out highway curves to improve traffic flow, officials said. John Frank, Axios, 1 Oct. 2024 For all of their might, demonic teen girls can’t easily straighten out the world’s crooked angles. Rafaela Bassili, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for straighten out 

Dictionary Entries Near straighten out

Cite this Entry

“Straighten out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straighten%20out. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on straighten out

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!