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straddle

verb

Definition of straddlenext
1
as in to perch
to be in or move into a seated or standing position with your legs on either side of (something) She straddled the horse and waited for her riding partner to mount.

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in to span
to be on both sides of (something) The town straddles the river. The movie straddles the line between comedy and drama.

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Dissimilar Words
3
as in to shake
to agree with or seem to agree with two opposite sides of (something) The politician straddled the issue for weeks.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of straddle Fraying friendship Thanks to a geographic quirk, Louis Patenaude’s freight business straddles the border between the US and Canada. — Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026 The Quad Cities, which straddle the Iowa-Illinois border, have gone without passenger rail since 1979, despite their history as the center of the Rock Island Line. — Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 As the camera zooms out, the actress is revealed to be nude straddling a basketball hoop while spinning a ball on her finger like a Harlem Globetrotter. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026 Your work tends to straddle this line of hardship and comedy. — Jd Linville, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for straddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddle
  1. perch
  2. span
  3. shake
  4. sit
  5. intersect
  6. duck
  7. bestride
  8. comprise
Verb
  • The hotel occupies floors 30 through 36 of the Kioi Tower, with the lobby perched at the top.
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The shoes feature a wide slingback strap that wraps around the back of the foot, while a dainty bow is perched right at the vamp.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of perch
Verb
  • Euan Ashley is chair of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University and a physician-scientist whose research spans genomics, precision medicine, digital health, and artificial intelligence.
    — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Related Stories The story takes place over four days in December and tracks four women spanning three generations.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of span
Verb
  • The policeman held on to Shorty’s biceps and shook them slightly, both giving the sense of a loving embrace and using his strength to lift Shorty ever so slightly off the ground and clear of the entrance.
    — Anand Giridharadas, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The trailer ends with Taylor-Johnson shaking and looking toward the sky as his transformation into a wolf appears to approach.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of shake
Verb
  • Back in the present, the Halogram (last updated in 2006) susses out that John is lying about the grandeur of Hal’s funeral when the former protégé mentions sitting next to MOGO, the Lantern who famously doesn’t socialize.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
  • That’s why inflation, which has sat well above the Fed’s 2% target for more than five years, remains a problem that won’t be easily solved, even if the Iran war ended and tariffs went away.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of sit
Verb
  • Several readers have spoken of appreciation for the columns of mine that intersected sports and society, such as excoriating the NFL for its blackballing of Colin Kaepernick.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Soares’s work intersected with some of the defining figures in international music, from Argentine tango composer and arranger Astor Piazzolla to jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of intersect
Verb
  • And who will have to settle for simply drinking out of a coconut or ducking under stuff?
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Deputies quickly detained Mendiola after witnesses, who were ducking for cover, pointed him out.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of duck
Verb
  • His career essentially bestrides the slow-to-grow Before Times and the apparent soccer paradise of today, which was fortified by remarkable facilities, boosted by an ideal central location and forged by an eagerly welcoming host city that slugged above its weight to make this happen.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
  • The Lone Star State is already a literal powerhouse that bestrides domestic energy production.
    — Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News, 15 Mar. 2026
Definition of bestride
Verb
  • Their newest collaboration is an expansive collection for Zara Home, which comprises more than 200 pieces of furniture and decor, plus a ready-to-wear clothing line.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Hunter mindset has also shifted in recent decades and the percent of annual harvest that yearling bucks comprise has plummeted.
    — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of comprise

Phrases Containing straddle

Browse Nearby Words

strabismus
straddle
straddled
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Cite this Entry

“Straddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddle. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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