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Glite Dictionary
✅ To resolve 🔄 To improve behavior 🪢 To untangle 🧹 To tidy up
to straighten out

to straighten out

110 3.4
To solve a problem or make a misunderstanding clear
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈstreɪtən aʊt/
: resolver
  • We need to meet tomorrow to straighten out the budgeting issues we've been facing.
  • straighten out things

But you know, what we need to do is look at what our preconceptions are and how these philosophers can help us straighten them out.

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Examples

  • I was just hoping you could call my boss back home and straighten things out for me.

    Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

  • Let me talk to her, we can straighten things out.

    The Skeleton Key (2005)

  • If we can talk to him, we can straighten it out.

    Witness (1985)

  • We got a few things to straighten out.

    The Big Sleep (1946)

  • I can straighten that out.

    The Running Man (1987)

  • Go on, have a great weekend. I'll talk to you on Monday. We'll straighten everything out.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Then you know that we've got to straighten this out first.

  • Maybe if Simone spoke to her she could straighten things out.

    S1m0ne (2002)

  • We aren't getting anywhere. The lawyer said, "Well, I think I can straighten this out."

    Academic text (1992)

  • They're going to find temporary homes for you until this mess is straightened out.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

to clear
vsto straighten out
430 2.8

To make something easy to understand

focuses on resolving or clarifying problematic or confusing situations
to sort out
vsto straighten out
306 2.7

To find and fix a problem or confusion

is the same meaning with no notable difference in use
to clear up
vsto straighten out
164 2.3

To explain something so people understand it

focuses on resolving or clarifying problems and misunderstandings
to shed light on
vsto straighten out
78 3.9

To help people understand something by explaining it

aims more at resolving practical problems or misunderstandings than only supplying information
to put right
vsto straighten out
52 3.6

To fix a mistake or problem and return things to normal

focuses on resolving confusing situations rather than only fixing faults or objects
to enlighten
vsto straighten out
50 4.8

To give someone clear information to help them understand something

is more about fixing or clarifying confusing practical problems than teaching knowledge
to rectify
vsto straighten out
47 6.0

To fix something that is wrong and make things right

emphasizes resolving or clarifying misunderstandings rather than simply correcting errors
to illuminate
vsto straighten out
38 4.8

To make something clear or easier to understand

is focused on resolving confusing situations rather than general explanation
to smooth out
vsto straighten out
33 3.4

Make a process or problem easier by removing difficulties

is focused on correcting confusion or misunderstandings rather than easing processes
to iron out
vsto straighten out
27 3.8

Settle problems or disagreements by talking and finding a solution

focuses more on clarifying or resolving confusing situations not only settling disputes
to clear the air
vsto straighten out
  • Informal
25 4.1

Help people stop feeling angry or worried by talking about the problem

is more general used to resolve or clarify any confusing situation
to elucidate
vsto straighten out
  • Formal
11 6.8

To explain something so it is easy to understand

is used to resolve or clarify problems and misunderstandings rather than just explain facts
to set things straight
vsto straighten out
  • Informal
6 4.2

To correct a wrong idea or explain what really happened

aims more generally to resolve or clarify various confusing situations
to set this straight
vsto straighten out
  • Informal
2 3.9

To correct a wrong idea and make things clear

covers fixing misunderstandings and clarifying broader confusing situations
to untangle this mess
vsto straighten out
1 5.5

To make a confusing or difficult situation clear

is broader and applies to both simple and complex confusing situations
to unshit the mess
vsto straighten out
  • Offensive
9.9

To fix a serious problem left behind in a project or system

is the nonvulgar neutral way to resolve or clarify problems
to air out the situation
vsto straighten out
  • Informal
5.6

Talk about a problem to make things clear and stop misunderstandings

focuses on resolving or clarifying confusion beyond discussion or decision making

Antonyms

to confuse
152 1.9

Make someone unable to think clearly or make something hard to understand

to complicate
136 4.1

To make something harder to understand or do

How Clear

to resolve
532 3.3
to straighten out
110 3.4
to sort out
306 2.7
to clear up
164 2.3
to clarify
255 3.3

Surface Forms

straighten out infinitive
straightened out past
straightened out past participle
straightening out present participle
straightens out third person singular

Morphology

straighten + out

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 idiom straighten out comes from imagining a tangled line or knot that you pull until it becomes smooth and clear. When the line is no longer tangled you can see how it runs, and the same image applies to ideas or problems. That's why it means 'to resolve or clarify a problem or misunderstanding'.