1
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 property straddles both sides of Chisholm Trail Parkway.
—
Samuel O’Neal 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
The bones of a diverging diamond intersection have been laid at the site, which straddles the border between Kansas City and Lee’s Summit, cutting along View High Drive.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 6 Apr. 2026
Orientale straddles the line between the near and far sides of the moon, showing how the Artemis II astronauts are already getting a look at normally unseen features.
—CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Her husband then climbed on top of her and straddled her with his legs across her waist.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for straddle
Samuel O’Neal 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
The bones of a diverging diamond intersection have been laid at the site, which straddles the border between Kansas City and Lee’s Summit, cutting along View High Drive.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 6 Apr. 2026
Orientale straddles the line between the near and far sides of the moon, showing how the Artemis II astronauts are already getting a look at normally unseen features.
—CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Her husband then climbed on top of her and straddled her with his legs across her waist.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for straddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddle
Verb
-
By 2024, his team had mapped nearly all of an enormous reef off the Carolina coast, perched a thousand metres down.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Our light posts are probably 30 feet high, so they are perched way above any other structure in the area.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Heuermann lived for decades in Massapequa Park, about a 25-minute drive across a causeway spanning South Oyster Bay to the sandy stretch where the women’s remains were found.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
His trajectory hasn’t been entirely linear, with Perreault registering only three points during a 17-game stretch that spanned all of January and February.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The boom could be loud enough to shake windows in some areas.—
Jayne Yutig,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The group composes its own sacred music, lilting songs that prompt women in green-and-white wraparounds to vigorously shake their bodies.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The neighborhood/area The Loutrel sits at the northern edge of Charleston’s French Quarter, known for its Huguenot roots and art galleries.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The average home for sale now sits for 88 days, a significant jump from 54 days last year.—
Chase Jordan
April 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The most precise atomic clocks trap atoms in an optical lattice, a pattern of light and dark formed by intersecting lasers.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The realms of philosophy and religion have sometimes intersected in conducting such inquiries as these.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Of the five live roaches spotted, one was crawling on a handwash sink inside the kitchen and two ducked under a coffee machine nearby.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Republicans broadly supported the administration's military action in Iran, but most GOP incumbents in competitive races have noticeably ducked addressing rising gas prices while defending the war itself.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
-
Opened in 1881, Edinburgh’s oldest hotel comprises five Georgian townhouses built in the 18th century in the city’s somewhat-misleading-sounding New Town.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The Pakistani force comprises air force fighter jets and support aircraft, the ministry said in a statement.—
Sara Gharaibeh,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddle. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
