straighten
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
straightens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
straightened,
past participle, past
-
straightening
present participle
verb
-
to make or become straight
-
(tr) to make neat or tidy
straighten your desk
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
straightenernoun
-
overstraightenverb
-
restraightenverb
-
prestraightenverb (used with object)
-
unstraightenedadjective
-
well-straightenedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
straightensimple
-
straightenssimple
-
have straightenedperfect
-
has straightenedperfect
-
am straighteningprogressive
-
are straighteningprogressive
-
is straighteningprogressive
-
have been straighteningperfect progressive
-
has been straighteningperfect progressive
Past
-
straightenedsimple
-
had straightenedperfect
-
was straighteningprogressive
-
were straighteningprogressive
-
had been straighteningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of straighten
Explanation
When you straighten something, you either unbend it or tidy it up. So you might straighten your legs, get off the couch, and straighten the room. To make something straight is to straighten it. When you uncross your legs and stretch them out in front of you, you straighten them. And if you adjust a picture on the wall so it's perfectly level, you straighten it. In the the 14th century, the equivalent verb was straight — so in those days, your mom would have said, "Straight your bedroom before you go out with your friends!"
Vocabulary lists containing straighten
List 10
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Giving Tree"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Spelling Practice 3, Unit 4
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The well-regarded Whittingham was hired to straighten out the program and lift the mood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The researchers identified four characteristics that can help determine whether a tilted tropical cyclone is likely to straighten vertically.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
“A lot of us, our hope is that eventually, history will straighten this all out and say, no, Gloria came in a little later, and her very loyal supporters have backtracked that history.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
“You want to straighten out your press,” Trump said before bringing the conversation to an end.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
“Well, we better get dressed and straighten up,” she said.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
A microlens array first aligns and straightens the light from each laser.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 2, 2026
“We are going to take those sanctions off until this straightens out,” Trump said Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
The Mercator map is arguably the best for this purpose, because it straightens out spiraling rhumb lines, and that’s why it rose to dominance.
From Slate ● Jan. 21, 2026
Whatever you wear, I hope you share M&M’s and popcorn with someone who straightens your crown.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
Then Lala straightens up and flashes me a smile of white and gold-plated teeth.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
“It’ll be back down once we get things straightened out.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
A section of the River Kemp, in south Shropshire, had been straightened by landowners in the 1800s, disconnecting it from its natural floodplain and reducing biodiversity.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
A very kind woman working behind the desk straightened me out: I was being too literal.
From Slate ● Dec. 29, 2025
Bigklit, formerly Indigo Vanity: That’s what a lot of people knew me for: the curly, big half-pink, half-black hair with my straightened bangs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
But whether she was too nervous to do a thorough job or whether there was a more mysterious explanation, she straightened up empty-handed.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
"Expansion and straightening cause water to drain away into the North Sea and Baltic Sea even faster, rather than being retained in the surrounding area."
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
“It is a little more of the same, but it is going to be straightening out,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
West of Hoover Street, the grid reorients itself, straightening into an American-style street grid.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
We may all recoil in horror at “Mar-a-Lago face”—and you might be rolling your eyes at my foray into the world of butt-crack straightening.
From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2026
Then she starts straightening the Houston Astros bobbleheads on the shelf above my dresser.
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
