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Synonyms

straighten

American  
[streyt-n] / ˈstreɪt n /

verb (used with or without object)

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

straighten British  
/ ˈstreɪtən /

verb

  1. to make or become straight

  2. (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

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.