straighten up
Britishverb
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to become or cause to become erect
-
to reform or become reformed
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.
Now, it is helping the company straighten up its balance sheet—and getting its hands on a major business in return.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025
There shall be no more merriment, and in the words of Nat King Cole, it is time to straighten up and fly right.
From Salon • Jan. 29, 2025
“When Caleb is around, these kids straighten up and fly right,” says Kim Washington, a vice president on the Boys & Girls Club’s executive board.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2023
That caused Biden to straighten up to full attention.
From Washington Times • Oct. 2, 2023
Fudge got to his feet and, after a moment’s hesitation, the Prime Minister did the same, watching the new arrival straighten up, dust down his long black robes, and look around.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
