Straighten Out (Verb)
Meaning 1
Extricate from entanglement; "Can you disentangle the cord?".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- Can you straighten out the wire that got all tangled up in the drawer?
- After playing with the ball of yarn, it was hard to straighten out all the knots.
- The fishermen tried to straighten out the net that got caught in the rocks.
- She hired a professional to straighten out the mess of earbuds under her desk.
- Can you help me straighten out the garden hose, it's all knotted and twisted?
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Meaning 2
Change for the better; "The lazy student promised to reform"; "the habitual cheater finally saw the light".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The formerly homeless man managed to straighten out his life after finding a steady job and a supportive community.
- After years of run-ins with the law, the young woman finally straightened out and became a law-abiding citizen.
- The athlete's coach helped him straighten out his reckless behavior both on and off the field, turning him into a role model for the team.
- The once-troubled teenager made a conscious effort to straighten out her priorities, focusing on her education and her future.
- With the help of a counselor, the recovering addict began to straighten out her life, slowly rebuilding relationships with her loved ones.
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Meaning 3
Put (things or places) in order; "Tidy up your room!".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- Straighten out your room before the party, we don't want our guests to see the mess.
- The administration hopes to straighten out the dormitories by the new semester.
- Straighten out the library after the storm to ensure everything is back in its proper place.
- After the accident, the workers were assigned to straighten out the destroyed office.
- The new janitor was tasked to straighten out the school building over the summer break.
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Meaning 4
Make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear; "Could you clarify these remarks?"; "Clear up the question of who is at fault".
Classification
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting.
Examples
- The manager will try to straighten out the schedule after the recent changes caused several conflicts.
- She decided to straighten out the misunderstanding by making a public apology.
- We will need to let them straighten out some of the incorrect procedures before they begin the project.
- Can you please straighten out this section of the contract as it is not making sense.
- After some investigation, the CEO will straighten out the rumor that had been circulating among the employees.
Synonyms
- Crystalise
- Clear Up
- Crystallise
- Crystalize
- Elucidate
- Sort Out
- Illuminate
- Clear
- Shed Light On
- Crystallize
- Enlighten
Hypernyms
Meaning 5
Make straight.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The chiropractor will help straighten out your spine after years of poor posture.
- She tried to straighten out her wrinkled dress after sitting in the crowded plane.
- The lawyer will work to straighten out any misunderstandings about the new policy.
- It took hours to straighten out the tangled fishing line.
- In therapy, she began to straighten out her complicated feelings towards her family.
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Meaning 6
Settle or put right; "we need to iron out our disagreements".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- We need to straighten out the problems with the project timeline before the meeting.
- I'm trying to straighten out the issues with my bank account, it's been a real headache.
- After the misunderstanding, we had a long talk to straighten out our differences.
- She had to straighten out her finances before applying for a mortgage.
- The company will take a few months to straighten out their operations after the merger.