go straight

Idioms  

1. Become a law-abiding person; abandon crime. For example, Once he got out on probation, he swore he would go straight. The use of straight in the sense of “honest” dates from the 1500s and probably alludes to the opposite of crooked, used in the sense of “dishonest” from the 13th century on.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

go straight

And its defense team, anchored by the First Amendment firm Ballard Spahr, has used that obligation to go straight at the people closest to Trump on Jan. 6.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

Some activists remain positive that more staffers at shelters will improve conditions, but others argue the money should go straight to the animals through food, enrichment and supplies instead of wages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

He said a colleague told him the nature of the calls, and that "apparently we're going to go straight through Dobby's grave".

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Project manager Simon Ludlam told the Energy Revolution podcast the cable was originally "going to go straight through" the tribute, before fans began leaving his firm "hundreds of calls".

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

But Genie didn’t go straight to sleep, even though that was what his parents wanted.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds