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.

With a large community of re-sellers sharing tips on TikTok, Rachel launched her own account in October 2025 to document her journey and keep her on the "straight and narrow".

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Nothing like a close call, a brush with doom, to scare you into staying on the straight and narrow.

From Salon • May 11, 2025

His three-card monte skills are storied in the neighborhood, but he’s determined to proceed down the straight and narrow.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2025

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

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