as in to unbend
to cause to follow a line that is without bends or curls
straighten that extension cord—it should be just long enough to reach the wall outlet
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Recent Examples of straighten
In the early 1900s, Walker improved the pressing comb to straighten Black women's thicker hair.
—
Leondra Head, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Lower yourself until roughly parallel with the ground, and press through your palms to straighten your elbows and lift your body back to the starting position.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 5 Feb. 2026
Her smile straightened by the intensity.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Malinin straightened and leaned forward on the sofa.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for straighten
Leondra Head, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Lower yourself until roughly parallel with the ground, and press through your palms to straighten your elbows and lift your body back to the starting position.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 5 Feb. 2026
Her smile straightened by the intensity.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Malinin straightened and leaned forward on the sofa.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for straighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straighten
Verb
-
While rigid machines, vehicles, and robots made of unbending steel, plastic, and composite materials are ideal for most contemporary manufacturing, transport and combat needs, other tasks require far greater flexibility, such as that which animals possess.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 Dec. 2025
-
Without unbending her back, the mother arranges her mouth into a placid line.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
One fall day in 1856, a family of Eastern gray squirrels in rural New York uncurled from a cozy nest in a chestnut tree, looked around, and joined half a billion other squirrels on a multi-state walkabout.—
Christine Peterson,
Vox,
23 Dec. 2024
-
Exhale, lower the bridge down, then uncurl the trunk to bring the right hip and shoulder back to the ground.—
Jen Murphy,
WSJ,
16 June 2022
Cite this Entry
“Straighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straighten. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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