straddle

verb

Save Word

strad·dle | \ ˈstra-dᵊl

straddled; straddling\ ˈstrad-liŋ

, ˈstra-dᵊl-iŋ \

Definition of straddle

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

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

straddle the fence

: to be in a position of neutrality or indecision

straddle

noun

Definition of straddle (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the act or position of one who straddles

2 : a noncommittal or equivocal position

3 : spread sense 5

Other Words from straddle More Example Sentences Learn More About straddle

Examples of straddle in a Sentence

Verb Turkey straddles Asia and Europe.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb It’s one thing to talk about food insecurity in Chicago, or to read about the hundreds of thousands of our friends and neighbors who straddle the thin line between getting by and needing help to put food on the table. — Rex Huppke, chicagotribune.com, 20 Dec. 2021 Unfortunately, the tax implications of retirement plan savings straddle the financial advisor and tax preparer professions and thus tend to fall through the cracks. — Vlad Rusz, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2021 The Hyundai's 27 cubic feet trails the others, which straddle either side of 30 cubic feet. — Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver, 17 Dec. 2021 Clocks naturally straddle the line between quantum mechanics and relativity. — Katie Mccormick, Quanta Magazine, 25 Oct. 2021 Both the Los Angeles singer-songwriter Ty Dolla $ign and the Canadian duo dvsn—the vocalist Daniel Daley and producer Anthony Paul Jefferies—straddle these genres, albeit in different ways. — Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2021 In the years ahead, the CTO role will continue to straddle the line between internal and customer-facing technologies. — Kris Fitzgerald, Forbes, 14 June 2021 Some firms are managing to straddle the line between meme stocks and value stocks. — Paul R. La Monica, CNN, 8 June 2021 Its backward-looking longing has more to do with a desire to return to the uncertainty of the period of life its two characters straddle. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun After police saw a car straddle multiple lanes and drive through a red light, a registration check showed that the plates were expired and the driver’s license was suspended, resulting in a traffic stop on Nov. 14. — Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 18 Nov. 2021 Youngkin's straddle to avoid alienating both Trump voters and suburbanites might not work quite so well across Virginia state lines. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, 3 Nov. 2021 Nine seats already are exclusively on the East Side, compared to just six on the West Side (two straddle the Cuyahoga River). — Robert Higgs, cleveland, 1 Sep. 2021 That will involve developing autonomous cranes and straddle carriers -- vehicles that place containers onto ships. — Rochelle Beighton, CNN, 25 Aug. 2021 The zone between France and the U.K. will necessarily maintain a certain strategic importance for the industry – over 100 species of fish straddle EU-U.K. waters. — Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 June 2021 These include a seated straddle stretch to work hamstring flexibility, and hip-mobility drills that use a resistance band to work his residual limb in various planes of motion. — Jen Murphy, WSJ, 29 May 2021 Those few vertical meters might be an hour’s hike — or a dangerous straddle and scooch — away. — New York Times, 12 May 2021 At that point, the straddle between more moderate voters in his national coalition and the increasing impatience of progressives in his Democratic Party will be tough to sustain. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, 23 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'straddle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.