straighten up

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To straighten up is to make your back upright. Shoulders back, chin level, after being bent over.

It is what you do after gardening, after a long stint at a desk, or when somebody important walks in. It also means to tidy, so straightening up a room is putting it in order, and that use is commoner in American English. There is a third sense about behaviour, since telling somebody to straighten up means telling them to start behaving properly, often paired with fly right.

Definitions of straighten up

1phrasestraighten upTo stand or sit upright after bending.B2
“He tried to straighten up and winced.”
2phrasetidyTo tidy a place.B2
“Give me ten minutes to straighten up the kitchen.”

Practised in A Man Called Ove, Body Language & Gestures, Cleaning & Housework

First appears in chapter 3 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

← Vocabulary

straighten up

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To straighten up is to make your back upright. Shoulders back, chin level, after being bent over.

Definitions of straighten up

1phrasestraighten upTo stand or sit upright after bending.B2
“He tried to straighten up and winced.”
2phrasetidyTo tidy a place.B2
“Give me ten minutes to straighten up the kitchen.”

Practised in A Man Called Ove, Body Language & Gestures, Cleaning & Housework

First appears in chapter 3 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word