to straighten out
11
2.9
- phrasal verb
- /ˈstreɪtən aʊt/
:
enderezar
- The Cessna is tipping and touching, first one wheel, then another, almost sideways before straightening out and stopping.
- straighten out your arm
- straighten out your nose
So you guys know that I've got curly hair extensions which I actually straightened out this week.
- So you guys know that I've got curly hair extensions which I actually straightened out this week.
- Now we take our hook and we straighten it out, kind of so it looks like a balloon or a bubble.
- So I just kind of like to straighten out the top and then leave some of the curls at the bottom just to get rid of the frizz.
- And maybe you've been, your head's been up in a ponytail, you had a kink or your head's been like this and I always get these little bits here and you want to straighten those out.
- We may even straighten it out just a little bit.
Examples
-
People shuffled in their seats, straightening out their postures as they reacted to the news.
Fiction book (2001) -
Get a wire hanger and straighten it out.
-
Just going to straighten out this edge here.
-
We may even straighten it out just a little bit.
-
Put it up, so I can straighten it out.
-
Humans use these little babies to straighten their hair out.
-
Straighten that wire out there.
-
I got up and began to straighten things out because I didn't want the face to know how messy I was.
Fiction book (1996) -
Gently, he turned the old man over, kneeling to straighten out his arms and legs and to place the blackened, singed head in his lap.
Fiction book (1993) -
She used a ruler to straighten out the edges of her artwork.
Synonyms
114
2.5
Make something straight and in the right position
39
1.3
Open something that is folded so it becomes flat
23
2.6
Make something flat and smooth by pressing it
22
2.5
To make something level or smooth
18
3.4
To make a surface, amount, or relationship level by removing differences
10
3.5
To separate threads or cords that are twisted together
8
3.4
To make something flat by unrolling it or using a roller
5
3.7
Make a wrapped or twisted thing loose and straight
5
3.4
To become flat and smooth after being uneven
3
3.7
To make something that is rolled or curled become straight
2
3.7
To make something that is twisted become straight
2
3.2
To move from a rolled or folded shape into a more open form
1
5.3
To free something twisted and knotted, like a cord
1
5.8
To make a hose, wire, or rope straight by removing bends
1
7.6
To free something from a tangle, like knots in rope or wire
1
5.1
To make a tied rope or string loose so it comes apart
Make a part straight after it becomes curved
To make fabric smooth by removing folds
Antonyms
How Untangled
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'straighten' (to put in order) plus the particle 'out' (a completive or thoroughness marker) yields a compositional sense of 'set right' or 'resolve', which can naturally extend metaphorically to 'put one's life/behaviour in order'. However, the shift from a literal physical ordering to improving personal conduct is a metaphorical extension that may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
The verb straighten out comes from the image of pulling a bent or twisted thing until it lies flat: you use straighten to make it straight and out to show it is spread or untangled. Imagine pulling a kink from a rope or a bent wire until it is smooth. That's why it means 'to make something straight or untangled'.