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
  • If each of us could do one small good deed daily, the world would be improved.
    Maria Zimina, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Sporting improved to 2-6-1 in MLS regular-season play, winning its second match of 2025.
    Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • With trade tensions spooking price-sensitive consumers and high-flying decision-makers within their ranks, airlines are trimming costs, capacity, and expectations — all while hoping for smoother skies ahead.
    Catherine Baab, Quartz, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Bank of America did trim its forecast to $21 from $22, though that is still roughly 53% above Wednesday’s close.
    Brian Evans, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • From Hype to Humility: AI Hits a Human Roadblock If 2024 was the year of AI hyperbole, 2025 is shaping up as the year of introspection.
    Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
  • This was shaping up as another horror show for McIlroy, who in 2011 lost a four-shot lead on the final day with a 43 on the back nine, a highlight reel that now can start collecting dust.
    Time, Time, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • From organizing food drives to donating recycling proceeds to global projects, EOLO is proof that small acts can scale.
    Jason Phillips, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The forty-three students in Tate’s charge visited all the city’s major sites, plus some often overlooked on school trips organized by white teachers: Frederick Douglass’s house, Miner Teachers College, and the Howard University campus that would later become Tate’s academic home.
    April White, JSTOR Daily, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Relatives of a man who died in custody at the main county jail last year has amended its lawsuit against the city to include details of his arrest by Sacramento police that family members say show neglect of his medical needs.
    Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • The cause and manner of death was amended after a review of her laboratory test results.
    Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • And the Trump administration is behaving the same terroristic way as Pinochet and others have done in the hemisphere.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Photo: James Merrell How to test paint colors How color behaves in relation to other colors and in different light conditions is extremely complex, and nothing beats seeing them in situ, Studholme says.
    Ariel Okin, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Lithos arranges for the dust to be collected at the rock quarries and transported to local farms.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Last week, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision ordering the Trump administration to arrange Abrego Garcia’s return.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Its leaders see an opportunity to better position China as a less capricious partner to the Middle East, the global South, and even Europe.
    Chang Che, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Craig Wood bettered his first-round score by 21 strokes in 1936 (88-67), then went on to win the tournament five years later.
    Justin Ray, New York Times, 11 Apr. 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 28 Apr. 2025.

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