straighten

When he promises her that he’ll straighten out his life, he sounds as desperate as all the other bad men who’ve tried those same pleas on him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

The researchers identified four characteristics that can help determine whether a tilted tropical cyclone is likely to straighten vertically.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

I rarely straighten my mop of thick, curly hair, and when I do, it’s not always a great experience.

From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2026

“You have New Orleans, which has a crime problem. We’ll straighten that out in two weeks, easier than D.C.,”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025

My heart jumped up in my throat as I watched Mrs. Wigginbottom heave herself to her feet and straighten her cuffs, clearly insulted by the tone my aunt had taken.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

A microlens array first aligns and straightens the light from each laser.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 2, 2026

The Mercator map is arguably the best for this purpose, because it straightens out spiraling rhumb lines, and that’s why it rose to dominance.

From Slate ● Jan. 21, 2026

Clutching the bow in those strong toes, he raises it to chest level and straightens his leg to attain a full draw.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2024

Whatever you wear, I hope you share M&M’s and popcorn with someone who straightens your crown.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024

He bends down to retrieve it, and when he straightens and offers it to her, she seems surprised to see that he is smiling at her.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

“It’ll be back down once we get things straightened out.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Knightsbridge had a short lead as the two horses passed the mile marker, and when they straightened out in the stretch, the race was over.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

A very kind woman working behind the desk straightened me out: I was being too literal.

From Slate ● Dec. 29, 2025

The eight runners were tightly grouped as they straightened up for home and then four went clear, with The Jukebox Man emerging victorious.

From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025

Rasseem wrestled himself free of the friendly beating and straightened his tunic.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

His grand goal was to reduce flooding, ease navigation and expand commercial shipping capacity by straightening the river’s course and shortening the distance between Basel and Bonn by 50 miles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

For centuries, the UK has modified landscapes to move water off the land as quickly as possible by draining uplands and peatlands, straightening rivers and disconnecting rivers from floodplains.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

"Expansion and straightening cause water to drain away into the North Sea and Baltic Sea even faster, rather than being retained in the surrounding area."

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

We may all recoil in horror at “Mar-a-Lago face”—and you might be rolling your eyes at my foray into the world of butt-crack straightening.

From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2026

I have abandoned my intricate routine of gel, comb, mousse, straightening iron, curling iron, and hairspray...that would totally derail us getting to school on time.

From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan