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.

Related Words

Relevance

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.

Related Words

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.

Related Words

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 The Schoonmaker Retreat is in Ulster County, which straddles the towns of Rosendale and Marbletown. — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026 But in the interest of affordability and customer choice, RTX Spark systems are also offered with smaller memory options, meaning that the model line straddles the line between Class 2 and 3. — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026 Ultimately, six people—Skarsgård, Colman, Fischer, Wilson, intimacy coordinator Ita O’Brien, and Oscar-winning cinematographer Lol Crawley—all experimented with positions together, straddling each other in odd ways to block the scenes. — Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026 Grammer has straddled comedy and drama throughout his career. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 14 Oct. 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
  • Right on the Chama river, perched on sprawling gardens and woods, this property is ideal for the bridal party who loves the outdoors.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Teddy bears and trains, baseballs and dolls dance through the air into Santa's enormous sack, which sits at Santa's feet, or rather Harry's, who is perched high on the throne at the back of the float, magnificent in white whiskers and red velvet.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of perch
Verb
  • This year, on Sunday, November 1, over 60,000 runners are expected to take part in the marathon, which follows a path that spans all five boroughs, starting on Staten Island and finishing in Central Park.
    — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Mapping the risks The report authors created an interactive Trans-Pacific Cable Gray Zone Vulnerability Index that ranks the undersea cables considered most at risk and displays a map of their routes spanning the Pacific Ocean.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of span
Verb
  • Sitake winds up practice with a prayer and insists that the defense and offense shake hands after going at one another all day.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Mothers who beat, shook, shot, drowned, strangled, and stabbed their babies.
    — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of shake
Verb
  • The Broncos have navigated the toughest part of their schedule and sit at 5-2.
    — Sam McDowell October 25, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The stock is about 3% above it, and the bottom of the Muse gap at $625 sits right underneath.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of sit
Verb
  • Years later, in 2030, his story intersects with that of his daughter, who makes her own pilgrimage to the Arctic Circle amidst political and environmental upheaval.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The island has long been home to skilled ceramicists, textile makers, glassblowers, and leatherworkers, but these practices are increasingly intersecting with a more contemporary design sensibility.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of intersect
Verb
  • That's a real benefit for those who don't want to duck down or climb steps to bed every night.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Well, about four songs in, Jackson Browne decides to start his spiel about 'No Nukes' and how there was a nuke plant near Champaign, and everyone should 'duck and cover' or some crap like that.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 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
  • The rest comprises things like structural supports, cooling systems, electrical connections, etc.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Behind the camera, Avani Rai shot about 130 people comprising ordinary Indians, dancers, models, and artisans, as well as her mother and actor Ranveer Singh against the streets of Old Delhi and its flower market and crowded alleyways.
    — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of comprise

Phrases Containing straddle

Browse Nearby Words

strabismus
straddle
straddled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Straddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddle. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All