straightening (up or out)

verb

present participle of straighten (up or out)
1
as in shaping up
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
as in trimming
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 straightening (up or out)
  1. shaping up
  2. trimming
  3. improving
  4. organizing
  5. amending
  6. arranging
Verb
  • The crisis is shaping up to be one of the most serious threats his government has faced.
    — Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Indeed, a host of leather goods brands are winning mind — and wallet — share in what’s shaping up as a luxury hangover period.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of shaping up
Verb
  • Landlords Even before legislation banning institutional investors from purchasing more single-family homes became law, the eight largest Wall Street landlords were trimming their portfolios.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The changes include cutting small teams consisting of one to two reports by nearly half and trimming employees seven steps away from the CEO by 20%.
    — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of trimming
Verb
  • The catalyst for improving the life conditions of Americans, our hemisphere, and everyone in the world, is to massively expand energy production around the world.
    — Willa Rubin, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026
  • From helping people lose weight to controlling their blood sugar to tamping down inflammation and improving heart health, these medications herald a new age of medicine.
    — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of improving
Verb
  • Party discord has also been a problem as leaders like Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, have developed their own fundraising and organizing infrastructure to harness political support independent of the state party.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The intimate gathering — a salon of sorts — harkened back to Steinem’s history of organizing women like this.
    — Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of organizing
Verb
  • Assembly Bill 113 was the last budget trailer bill to pass through the Legislature during this session, amending the 2026-27 budget to allocate additional funds to issue areas such as healthcare, housing and disaster relief, among others.
    — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The complex legislation — added by gutting and amending a bill known as Senate Bill 492 — was introduced less than three days before the legislative session was to end Monday.
    — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of amending
Verb
  • The case turned into a years-long legal saga, with multiple people convicted of their roles in arranging the hit, including Wendi’s brother, Charlie Adelson, and her mother, Donna.
    — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Britain’s populist Reform UK said two senior aides to leader Nigel Farage stepped down on Friday after an undercover investigation alleged the party had broken electoral law by arranging for a foreign donor to pay for political polling.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of arranging
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

straightening (up)
straightening (up or out)
straighten (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Straightening (up or out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straightening%20%28up%20or%20out%29. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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