straighten

American

[streyt-n] / ˈstreɪt n /

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become straight in direction, form, position, character, conduct, condition, etc. (often followed by up orout ).

straighten British

/ ˈstreɪtən /

verb

to make or become straight
(tr) to make neat or tidy

straighten your desk

"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

Other Word Forms

overstraighten verb
prestraighten verb (used with object)
restraighten verb
straightener noun
unstraightened adjective
well-straightened adjective

Etymology

Origin of straighten

First recorded in 1535–45; straight + -en ¹

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.

The eight runners were tightly grouped as they straightened up for home and then four went clear, with The Jukebox Man emerging victorious.

From BBC

She smiles, but then straightens her back and pats her chest, looking me in the eye.

From Literature

In pictures, she can be seen smiling sweetly at the camera in a smart black suit with straightened brown hair during a visit to the Financial Times in 2010.

From BBC

“You have New Orleans, which has a crime problem. We’ll straighten that out in two weeks, easier than D.C.,”

From The Wall Street Journal

He straightens it out and enhances its faded colour with careful strokes of a pencil.

From BBC

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