INDEX:
1. straight lines or objects
2. travelling or moving in a straight line
3. sitting or standing straight
4. to become straight or make something straight
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ BEND
see also
↑ VERTICAL
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1. straight lines or objects
▷ straight /streɪt/ [adjective]
straight lines, roads, edges etc have no bends or curves :
▪ First, draw two straight lines across the page using a ruler.
▪ Her hair is blonde and very straight.
▪ Anne loved Rome, with its open spaces and long straight avenues.
dead straight
especially British completely straight
▪ The road ran dead straight for 50 miles across the desert.
2. travelling or moving in a straight line
▷ straight /streɪt/ [adverb]
▪ Terry was so drunk he couldn’t walk straight.
straight ahead/down/towards etc
▪ If you look straight ahead, you’ll see the church in the distance.
▪ Jane was walking purposefully along the hall, straight towards us.
▷ go straight on British /go straight American /ˌgəʊ streɪt ˈɒn, gəʊ ˈstreɪt/ [verb phrase] spoken
to continue travelling ahead in the same direction as before, without turning left or right - use this when you are telling people which way to go :
▪ When you get to the intersection, go straight.
▪ Keep going straight on through the town and when you come to the school, turn left.
▷ in a straight line /ɪn ə ˌstreɪt ˈlaɪn/ [adverb]
if something moves in a straight line, it does not turn to the left or to the right :
▪ Light always travels in a straight line.
▪ It’s difficult to walk in a straight line with your eyes closed.
▷ direct /dɪˈrekt, dəˈrekt, ˌdaɪˈrekt◂/ [adjective]
going straight from one place to another without changing direction :
▪ Which is the most direct route to London from here?
▪ The Chin tracks in India follow the most direct line between villages, regardless of gradient.
▷ as the crow flies /əz ðə ˈkrəʊ ˌflaɪz/ [adverb]
following a straight line between two places - use this to say what is the shortest possible distance between them :
▪ The distance between the two towns is only 10 kilometres as the crow flies, but it can take up to 2 hours along the narrow coastal road.
3. sitting or standing straight
▷ upright /ˈʌp-raɪt/ [adverb]
sitting or standing with your back and neck straight, not bent :
▪ The roof of the cave was so low he couldn’t stand upright.
▪ Pulling herself upright on her walking frame, she moved across the room to the stairs.
bolt upright
with your back very straight
▪ There was a sudden noise outside and she sat bolt upright in bed.
upright [adjective]
▪ An upright posture in a chair or bed helps the patient to breathe more easily.
4. to become straight or make something straight
▷ straighten out /ˌstreɪtn ˈaʊt/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to become straight or to make something straight :
▪ The road twisted and turned for a few miles and then straightened out again.
straighten out something
▪ He had straightened out all the paperclips on his desk, but had done no work.
straighten something out
▪ Gemma needed surgery to straighten her knee out.
▷ straighten /ˈstreɪtn/ [transitive verb]
to make something straight :
▪ The car’s in the garage having its front bumper straightened.
▪ Gradually straighten your legs until you are standing upright.
▷ straighten also straighten up /ˈstreɪtn, ˌstreɪtn ˈʌp/ [intransitive verb/intransitive phrasal verb]
to make your back straight when sitting or standing :
▪ Alan straightened in his chair.
▪ She straightened up as Melissa approached, pulling off her gardening gloves.
▷ sit up /ˌsɪt ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to make your back straight when sitting :
▪ He sat up in his chair when I started talking about Chris.
sit up straight
▪ Sit up straight and put a cushion behind your lower back.