neaten
verb (used with object)
to make neat.
neatening
-
present participleof neaten.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
Getting through it can take powerful magic, huge acts of transformation and small acts of neatening.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 19, 2020
“It feels like a small act of neatening that I really appreciate,” says Daniel Lavery, the author of Slate’s Dear Prudence advice column.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 19, 2020
Some like Atlas tend the bangles by pruning and neatening their edges.
From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2019
But at the beginning the Callaway Connection manifested itself mainly in a comprehensive neatening up of what they could do already.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 14, 2013
So I folded that piece of paper really small, and, pretending I was neatening up my braid, I wound it into my hair.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
