the straight and narrow

noun

informal
: the way of living that is honest and morally proper
His wife keeps him on the straight and narrow.

Examples of the straight and narrow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
My four siblings stuck to the straight and narrow. — Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026 With some tweaks, Tuchel could get England on the straight and narrow again. — Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 26 June 2026 Being on the straight and narrow isn’t lucrative. — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026 The third, Troy Canty, is said to be living on the straight and narrow, and keeps out of the press. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 1 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for the straight and narrow

Rhymes for the straight and narrow

See All Rhymes for the straight and narrow

Browse Nearby Words

the story of someone's life
the straight and narrow
the stratosphere
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“The straight and narrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20straight%20and%20narrow. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All