straddled; straddling
ˈstrad-liŋ 
ˈstra-dᵊl-iŋ
1
: to stand, sit, or walk with the legs wide apart
especially
: to sit astride
2
: to spread out irregularly : sprawl
3
: to favor or seem to favor two apparently opposite sides
4
: to execute a commodities market spread
1
: to stand, sit, or be astride of
straddle a horse
campsites straddling the river
2
: to be noncommittal in regard to
straddle an issue
3
: to belong in part to (each of several categories)
a movie straddling genres
Examples of straddle in a Sentence
Verb
Turkey straddles Asia and Europe.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
The memorial, built in 1962 and visited by nearly two million people annually, straddles the sunken hull of the Arizona without touching it.
—Richard Goldstein, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Death Valley actually straddles California and Nevada.
—Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
The all-in wine program from sommelier Victoria James straddles price ranges and global growing regions.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
This picturesque state straddling the Rocky Mountains is home to some of the most astounding stretches of highway in the country, connecting mountain resorts and artists' colonies to pioneer towns.
—Adam Lapetina, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2024
The Whig Party, the more conservative of the two major U.S. political parties in the mid-19th century, had a sizable anti-slavery contingent, particularly in the northern states, but the party straddled the fence on the measure.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2024
For four minutes and 23 seconds, at exactly 38 minutes past 1 p.m. on Monday, April 8, this sleepy Texas town straddling Interstate-35 an hour south of Fort Worth will be captivated by a rare celestial phenomenon the likes of which will not be seen again in North America for a generation.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2024
Things that cannot be ignored in any three-wheeled conveyance are potholes, since straddling these requires careful aim to avoid an unwelcome clunk.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
Eddie Pells, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2023
Spears sensually dips and dances around the pole, occasionally using the apparatus to nail a spin or straddle as Trent Rezor’s urgent voice provides the soundtrack for her pole-formance.
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2023
The different auras as well as eras Laufey straddles could be seen in her costume change at the Ford.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 19 Sep. 2023
Hold for 20 seconds, then repeat three times. Side stretch: From the seated straddle, tuck one leg in, leaving the other out to the side.
—Women's Health, 11 July 2023
And that’s the dorsal straddle in a nutshell.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2016
While the mixed-use neighborhood straddles Orange and Osceola, two-thirds of it is in Osceola, with up to 28,000 new homes and apartments planned, said Jessi Blakley, a Tavistock spokesperson.
—Trevor Fraser, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2023
That earlier law, which DeSantis and state legislators rushed across the finish line in a sprint last spring, would have left taxpayers in Orange and Osceola counties, the two counties Disney straddles, saddled with debt owed by the district.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2023
The interdependence of the institution of the monarchy with another, less hallowed, institution, the press, has morphed in the age of social media to the point that royals are expected simultaneously to be fascinating, consumable celebrities and aloof moral avatars—an impossible straddle.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2022
Verb
The Truckee Tahoe Airport straddles two California counties — Nevada and Placer — about 10 miles northwest of Incline Village, where the couple lived.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
The memorial, built in 1962 and visited by nearly two million people annually, straddles the sunken hull of the Arizona without touching it.
—Richard Goldstein, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Death Valley actually straddles California and Nevada.
—Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
The all-in wine program from sommelier Victoria James straddles price ranges and global growing regions.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
This picturesque state straddling the Rocky Mountains is home to some of the most astounding stretches of highway in the country, connecting mountain resorts and artists' colonies to pioneer towns.
—Adam Lapetina, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2024
The Whig Party, the more conservative of the two major U.S. political parties in the mid-19th century, had a sizable anti-slavery contingent, particularly in the northern states, but the party straddled the fence on the measure.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2024
For four minutes and 23 seconds, at exactly 38 minutes past 1 p.m. on Monday, April 8, this sleepy Texas town straddling Interstate-35 an hour south of Fort Worth will be captivated by a rare celestial phenomenon the likes of which will not be seen again in North America for a generation.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2024
Things that cannot be ignored in any three-wheeled conveyance are potholes, since straddling these requires careful aim to avoid an unwelcome clunk.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
Fosbury died Sunday after a recurrence with lymphoma, according to his publicist, Ray Schulte. Before Fosbury, many high jumpers cleared their heights by running parallel to the bar, then using a straddle kick to leap over before landing with their faces pointed downward.
—Eddie Pells, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2023
Spears sensually dips and dances around the pole, occasionally using the apparatus to nail a spin or straddle as Trent Rezor’s urgent voice provides the soundtrack for her pole-formance.
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2023
The different auras as well as eras Laufey straddles could be seen in her costume change at the Ford.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 19 Sep. 2023
Hold for 20 seconds, then repeat three times. Side stretch: From the seated straddle, tuck one leg in, leaving the other out to the side.
—Women's Health, 11 July 2023
And that’s the dorsal straddle in a nutshell.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2016
While the mixed-use neighborhood straddles Orange and Osceola, two-thirds of it is in Osceola, with up to 28,000 new homes and apartments planned, said Jessi Blakley, a Tavistock spokesperson.
—Trevor Fraser, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2023
That earlier law, which DeSantis and state legislators rushed across the finish line in a sprint last spring, would have left taxpayers in Orange and Osceola counties, the two counties Disney straddles, saddled with debt owed by the district.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2023
The interdependence of the institution of the monarchy with another, less hallowed, institution, the press, has morphed in the age of social media to the point that royals are expected simultaneously to be fascinating, consumable celebrities and aloof moral avatars—an impossible straddle.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'straddle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
irregular from stride
First Known Use
Verb
1565, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing straddle
Dictionary Entries Near straddle
Cite this Entry
“Straddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straddle. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
straddle
1 of 2 verb
strad·dle
ˈstrad-ᵊl
straddled; straddling
ˈstrad-liŋ
-ᵊl-iŋ
1
: to stand, sit, or walk with the legs wide apart
2
: to approve or seem to approve two apparently opposite sides
straddle a question
straddle
2 of 2 noun
: the act or position of one that straddles
Legal Definition
straddle
noun
strad·dle
ˈstrad-ᵊl
: the purchase of an equal number of put options and call options on the same underlying securities with the same price and maturity date
More from Merriam-Webster on straddle
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for straddle
Nglish: Translation of straddle for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of straddle for Arabic Speakers
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