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.
I haven’t been here for Matt Damon since he straightened out a Black woman on how diversity *actually* works on Project Greenlight.
From Los Angeles Times
And it came just when it seemed as though the relays had gotten their act straightened out.
From Seattle Times
Now the Nigerians have until Friday’s game against France to straighten out the credential paperwork.
From Seattle Times
"I don't have any family. So it's very hard and especially to straighten out the papers that belong to me."
From Fox News
After returning home and getting my tree straightened out, I put on clothes that were not pajamas and marched down to the coffee shop.
From New York 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.
