straight and narrow

American

noun

the way of virtuous or proper conduct.

After his release from prison, he resolved to follow the straight and narrow.

straight and narrow British

noun

informal the proper, honest, and moral path of behaviour

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of straight and narrow

First recorded in 1945–50

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:

straight and narrow

Every time the filmmaker’s typically unconventional ideas threaten to tilt the movie too far askew, the sisters bring “Bucking Fastard” back on the straight and narrow.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

"So they're trying to change people's behaviour, try to get them on the straight and narrow and maybe get them back into work and just become a somewhat normal citizen."

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

Houlahan and Curtis decided to focus on oncogenes, normal genes that, when mutated, can free a cell from regulatory pathways meant to keep it on the straight and narrow.

From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024

It’s an absurd practice, but I go on anyway, pressing him as to why he never got on the straight and narrow sooner.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2023

I was trying so hard to be on the straight and narrow.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023