STRAIGHTEN OUT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does straighten out mean? 

• STRAIGHTEN OUT (verb)
  The verb STRAIGHTEN OUT has 6 senses:

1. settle or put right

2. extricate from entanglement

3. change for the better

4. make straight

5. make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear

6. put (things or places) in order

  Familiarity information: STRAIGHTEN OUT used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STRAIGHTEN OUT (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Settle or put right

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

iron out; put right; straighten out

Context example:

we need to iron out our disagreements

Hypernyms (to "straighten out" is one way to...):

ameliorate; amend; better; improve; meliorate (to make better)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Extricate from entanglement

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

disentangle; straighten out; unsnarl

Context example:

Can you disentangle the cord?

Hypernyms (to "straighten out" is one way to...):

order (bring order to or into)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "straighten out"):

loosen; tease; tease apart (disentangle and raise the fibers of)

ravel; ravel out; unravel (disentangle)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They straighten out their hair

Sense 3

Meaning:

Change for the better

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

reform; see the light; straighten out

Context example:

the habitual cheater finally saw the light

Hypernyms (to "straighten out" is one way to...):

ameliorate; better; improve; meliorate (get better)

Verb group:

reclaim; rectify; reform; regenerate (bring, lead, or force to abandon a wrong or evil course of life, conduct, and adopt a right one)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sense 4

Meaning:

Make straight

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

straighten; straighten out

Hypernyms (to "straighten out" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "straighten out"):

untwist (cause to become untwisted)

unbend (free from flexure)

extend (open or straighten out; unbend)

channelise; channelize (cause to form a channel)

untwine (undo what has been twined together)

unweave (undo strands that have been woven together)

comb (straighten with a comb)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

clear; clear up; crystalise; crystalize; crystallise; crystallize; elucidate; enlighten; illuminate; shed light on; sort out; straighten out

Context example:

Clear up the question of who is at fault

Hypernyms (to "straighten out" is one way to...):

clarify; clear up; elucidate (make clear and (more) comprehensible)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Put (things or places) in order

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

clean up; neaten; square away; straighten; straighten out; tidy; tidy up

Context example:

Tidy up your room!

Hypernyms (to "straighten out" is one way to...):

order (bring order to or into)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "straighten out"):

make; make up (put in order or neaten)

clean; clean house; houseclean (clean and tidy up the house)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

The whole inexplicable tangle seemed to straighten out before me.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The sled was upside down and jammed between a tree-trunk and a huge rock, and they were forced to unharness the dogs in order to straighten out the tangle.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

And when the tinsmiths came, bringing with them all their tools in baskets, she inquired, Can you straighten out those dents in the Tin Woodman, and bend him back into shape again, and solder him together where he is broken?

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)