straighten out
Britishverb
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to make or become less complicated or confused
the situation will straighten out
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to reform or become reformed
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Clear up disorder, a confusion, or a misunderstanding, as in This is an awful mess; I hope you'll straighten it out , or I don't understand; please straighten me out . [Late 1800s]
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Adopt an honest, upright course, as in He's only sixteen; I'm sure he'll straighten out before long . [First half of 1900s]
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.
“How about some observational drawings of one of the animals? It’ll count as class credit for today. By tomorrow I’m sure everything will be straightened out.”
From Literature
At the last second, the plane banked wide along the side of the mountain, showed Akira its belly, and then straightened out to go shooting along the front edge of the fire.
From Literature
“The tears that I have shed over this, the frustration, the hours on the phone, trying to get it straightened out,” said Reisen, who lives in the Philadelphia area.
From MarketWatch
When his Part D drug plan declined to cover one of his medications, the office staff called the insurance company and got it straightened out, saving him time and frustration.
From Barron's
Now that the couple has straightened out their identity issues, their bond is stronger than ever — and so are their relationships with Palmer’s two adult daughters.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions 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.
