1
as in shaping up
to change one's behavior or character for the better
I hope that rehab will help her straighten up for good
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in trimming
to make neat
a directive for everyone to straighten up their cubicle in preparation for a visit from some corporate VIPs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straightening (up or out)
Verb
-
Thursday was shaping up to be a competitive afternoon of baseball at Fenway Park, with the Red Sox and Atlanta Braves tied at 2-2 heading into the sixth inning.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
28 May 2026 -
Boasting a budget of around $120 million, Season 4 is shaping up to be the most ambitious shoot ever to use the festival as its central setting.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Then Pages drove him in by roping his own double into the left-field corner, trimming the Brewers’ lead to two runs.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
-
To prevent groundhogs, make your yard less inviting by securing trash, trimming brush, and fencing your garden.—
Helena Madden,
Martha Stewart,
23 May 2026
Verb
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The decision was made to neutralise GC timings ahead of the final circuit — effectively taking times with 16km remaining — allowing the favourites to drop back before the speed increased further, while also improving safety by reducing the size of the peloton.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
-
The team says future work will focus on long-term outdoor durability testing, improving large-scale manufacturability, and optimizing real-world deployment.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
In her 2008 work Mirror Play, San Francisco Poets Theatre Beloved’s Carla Harryman employs a field of speakers as an engine for organizing meaning between interior perception and exterior reality.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
Por Parasu Komaradat, the coordinator who has been organizing the rescue operations, told ABC News Thursday that six divers from other countries, including Japan and France, will be arriving Friday to assist in their efforts.—
Aicha El Hammar Castano,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Still, Sinner’s Wimbledon coup spooked Grand Slam organizers into amending their rulebook.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
24 May 2026
-
Overland Park is looking at amending its policies to streamline certain housing projects or open up the possibility to develop accessory dwelling units or duplexes in areas that have been historically single-family neighborhoods.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Loo and his family were also in the process of arranging shelter while evacuation orders remain in effect.—
Eric Licas,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
-
Duff-Smith was executed in 1993 for arranging the murder of his mother in 1975.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Straightening (up or out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straightening%20%28up%20or%20out%29. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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