STRAIGHTEN (UP OR OUT) Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

straighten (up or out)

verb

Definition of straighten (up or out)

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

as in to trim

to make neat a directive for everyone to straighten up their cubicle in preparation for a visit from some corporate VIPs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straighten (up or out)

Verb

The performance of hydrocarbons must be considered as part of a wider system that is simultaneously scaling clean electricity input and improving efficiency across the value chain.

— H.E. Dr Abdulla Saif Al Jarwan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
In comparison, 58% say state and local governments improve their lives, while 56% say the same of businesses and 77% of charitable and advocacy groups.

— Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of improve

Verb

This year’s Democrats are making hard plays for northeast Ohio, at least to trim the GOP margins.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Amid the ongoing labor negotiations in baseball, which is widely expected to result in a work stoppage this winter, MLB agreed to trim the requirement to five years for players over 30 years old.

— Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of trim

Verb

Anthropic, which was valued at close to $1 trillion earlier this year, is preparing for an initial public offering as soon as next month that is shaping up as one of the biggest ever.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
This week is shaping up to give us a break from the summerlike sweat.

— Miami Herald Staff Report, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of shape up

Verb

The team’s last-second win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was organized and operated by the NFL, part of the league’s more standard rotation of all teams playing overseas.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Workers are organizing at manufacturing plants, in newsrooms, in technology, in hospitals, on college campuses, and construction sites.

— Liz Shuler, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of organize

Verb

State law allows cities of Roseville’s size to establish council salaries of $2,550 per month, although the city’s charter must be amended by voters before the new compensation rules can take effect.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Vaccaro filed for divorce in April last year and amended her divorce petition to include the domestic violence allegations.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of amend

Verb

For a bit of an over-the-top perk, the concierge is able to arrange helicopter services to NASA through its rooftop helipad, as well as myriad other special excursions.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026
While Sabrina’s identical twin sister, Virginia, was arranged to marry a Chinese American man in the States who spoke no Cantonese, Sabrina wouldn’t let her parents stop their love— or stop her from getting pregnant.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of arrange

Verb

In 1999 a group led by Austrian physicist Anton Zeilinger confirmed that fullerenes, large molecules consisting of 60 carbon atoms, behave just the same.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Meet the 2026-27 Lakers, a team that will look different, sound different, feel different, play different and behave different from their recent predecessors in every way but one.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of behave

Verb

Forty-three percent of US adults say the federal government is effective at bettering people’s lives, down from 51% in 2025, according to a new Bentley University-Gallup survey.

— Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026
In the meantime, however, humankind was not there to be bettered.

— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of better

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.

Browse Nearby Words

straighten (up)

straighten (up or out)

straight-faced

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“Straighten (up or out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straighten%20%28up%20or%20out%29. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of straighten (up or out)

verb

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