neaten

[ neet-n ]

verb (used with object)

1. to make neat:

   a day spent neatening the kitchen shelves.

neaten

/ ˈniːtən /

verb

1. tr to make neat; tidy

Word History and Origins

Origin of neaten¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; neat ¹ + -en ¹

Example Sentences

Few things neaten a naturalistic garden like fresh edging around beds.

From Washington Post

To neaten the top, crease the strips at top of the basket, fold over to the other side and tuck into a lower layer.

From New York Times

Attempting to retroactively neaten up the cultural record may be convenient for corporations looking to avoid a bad news cycle, and for artists looking to preserve their reputations.

From Washington Post

The brief was to reduce the bulk at the sides and neaten the perimeter.

From The Guardian

The reader struggles, along with Vanessa, to make sense of what is happening, to interpolate, to see the truth, with so many false accounts, so many delusions, so many efforts to neaten or prettify.

From New York Times