straighten
verb
straight·en
| \ ˈstrā-tᵊn
\
\
straightened;
straightening\ ˈstrāt-niŋ
, ˈstrā-tᵊn-iŋ \
, ˈstrā-tᵊn-iŋ \
Definition of straighten
: to make straight
—usually used with up or out
: to become straight
—usually used with up or out
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Other Words from straighten
straightener
\ ˈstrāt-nər
, ˈstrā-tᵊn-ər \
noun
, ˈstrā-tᵊn-ər \
noun
Examples of straighten in a Sentence
He straightened the bent antenna.
The drooping flowers straightened in the rain.
Recent Examples on the Web
If the roots aren’t unwound, straightened out and properly trimmed when planted, the roots will become tighter and tighter as the tree grows. — Rebecca Jepsen, The Mercury News, "Bay Area gardens: How to cope with Japanese maple dieback," 28 Aug. 2019 The character’s lack of intellectual substance parallels the movie’s simplified, straightened-out narrative. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "“Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” Reviewed: Richard Linklater’s Narrow View of a Creator in Crisis," 26 Aug. 2019 The secret: curl, then straighten for a look that's perfectly undone. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "5 Best Tutorials for How to Curl Short Hair," 19 Aug. 2019 But it has been tamed: its path has been shortened and straightened; its southernmost thousand miles are sheathed in an intricate system of locks and levees, and now ninety percent of its old floodplain stands dry. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "On a Wild Patch of Mississippi Soil," 14 Aug. 2019 That’s why Biles starts her flight with arms wide, and then brings them in while straightening out her body. — Adam Rogers, WIRED, "The Biomechanical Perfection of Simone Biles in Flight," 13 Aug. 2019 Then slowly walk your hands forward, straighten your arms, and drop your head and shoulders toward the ground. — Hayden Carpenter, Outside Online, "12 Yoga Poses for Climbers to Do Daily," 9 Aug. 2019 Hold this pose for 5 seconds before straightening the leg for a release. — Stephanie Mansour, NBC News, "A 31-day yoga routine to help you reduce stress," 1 Aug. 2019 Their centres are warrens built around foot traffic, that had to be trimmed, straightened and trained like rose bushes as car ownership grew. — The Economist, "Streets ahead," 1 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'straighten.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for straighten
straighten
verb
English Language Learners Definition of straighten
: to make (something) straight or to become straight
: to make (something) organized or tidy : to put (something) in order
See the full definition for straighten in the English Language Learners Dictionary
straighten
verb
straight·en
| \ ˈstrā-tᵊn
\
\
straightened;
straightening
Kids Definition of straighten
1
: to make or become straight
The road straightened out.
2
: to put in order
Please straighten up the room.
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