straighten
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
straightens;
straightened;
straightening
straightens;
straightened;
straightening
Britannica Dictionary definition of STRAIGHTEN
1
:
to make (something) straight or to become straight
— often + out
— often + out
[+ object]
-
He straightened the bent antenna.
-
Straighten your legs.
-
You need to straighten out your legs for this stretch.
[no object]
-
The drooping flowers straightened in the rain.
-
The river curves and then straightens out again.
2
[+ object]
:
to make (something) organized or tidy
:
to put (something) in order
— usually + out or up
-
He took time to straighten out the papers on his desk.
-
They straightened up the house after the party.
straighten out
[phrasal verb]
1
straighten out (something)
or
straighten (something) out
:
to deal with (something) successfully
-
I need more time to straighten out my problems.
2
a
straighten out
or
straighten out (something)
or
straighten (something) out
:
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.
b
straighten (someone) out
or
straighten out (someone)
:
to improve the behavior of (someone)
-
Her parents sent her to boarding school to straighten her out.
straighten up
[phrasal verb]
1
:
to move your body to an upright position
-
Straighten up. There's no excuse for slouching.
2
US
:
to improve in behavior
-
You need to straighten up, young man.
[count]
[noncount]
-
She uses a straightener to make her hair straight.
-
a bottle of hair straightener
