How to Use the straight and narrow in a Sentence

the straight and narrow

noun
  • 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
  • Marcus Jordan is on the straight and narrow after a difficult last few years.
    — Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Flavor Flav is back on the straight and narrow after an unfortunate relapse.
    — Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 23 Sep. 2025
  • And then there’s Lousy Louie, a basically swell kid, trying to stick to the straight and narrow during his first year of parole.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2025
  • Would Villa have been able to keep Duran on the straight and narrow and become one of the best strikers in the world, as senior figures believed?
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2026
  • The building houses formerly homeless people in recovery from behavioral health disorders — and the victim was living on the straight and narrow, a law enforcement source said.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Breakfast is a more casual affair on the patio, where fresh smoothies, fruit, and granola keep the wellness crowd on the straight and narrow—until traditional Sicilian cakes and pastries such as apricot cake lead them astray.
    — Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Critical safeguards — meant to protect taxpayers and keep public officials in the sunshine and on the straight and narrow — have been significantly weakened by the Legislature.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Rather than having to pinpoint particular protections, maybe the cohesive and comprehensive route is to bake into AI a set of ethical and legal values that will keep it on the straight and narrow path, including being on the watch of becoming a useful idiot.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the straight and narrow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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