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.
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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
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Recent Examples of straddle
All beaches in the Northern Beaches, a council area straddling Sydney's northern coastline, will remain closed until further notice, police said.
—
Alasdair Pal, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
While redistricting made his 49th District straddling the San Diego-Orange County line more Democratic and thus safer for Levin, it’s still considered competitive.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Istanbul alone performs a high volume of procedures every single day, concentrated in a city that also happens to straddle two continents.
—Matthew Kayser, Ascend Agency, 16 Jan. 2026
The city has long occupied a cinematic place, straddling its gauzy past and a dark, rainy future.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for straddle
Alasdair Pal, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
While redistricting made his 49th District straddling the San Diego-Orange County line more Democratic and thus safer for Levin, it’s still considered competitive.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Istanbul alone performs a high volume of procedures every single day, concentrated in a city that also happens to straddle two continents.
—Matthew Kayser, Ascend Agency, 16 Jan. 2026
The city has long occupied a cinematic place, straddling its gauzy past and a dark, rainy future.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for straddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddle
Verb
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Mona’s memorial was held at Skyrim, the family farmhouse perched on a hilltop outside Columbia, Missouri.—
Shannon Taggart,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
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In her videos, which often draw tens of thousands of views, Neilis' children — ranging in age from 2 years old to 14 — are perched on the countertop or on her hip.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The unresolved warnings span some of California's most expensive and urgent problems, including unemployment fraud, homelessness spending oversight, public safety funding accountability, wildfire risk, and drinking water safety, just to name a few.—
Julie Watts,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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The exercise focused on decision-making, flight control, and airspace discipline, all under realistic conditions spanning miles of airspace and thousands of feet of altitude.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This should have people across the country absolutely shook.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Jan. 2026
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The officer in the black beanie appears to shake a pepper spray canister toward protesters.—
Yahya Abou-Ghazala,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The restaurant has occupied the space for decades, sits steps from the ski lifts in Vail Village, and is a local favorite for skiers, tourists and locals alike.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Video footage that circulated on social media shows the tourist lying motionless on the snowy ground, with the leopard sitting nearby.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In the middle of this spectrum, a trio of mid-career stylistic chameleons and sometime collaborators — Feid, J Balvin, and Bad Bunny — carefully map out intersecting tastes.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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As far as documentaries on celebrities and luminaries go, Melania avoids major revelations, instead favoring a glimpse of a brief moment in time and lightly touching on the issues that intersect with her present role.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hundreds of attendees pushed through the crowds, weaving and ducking to find entrances to vendor exhibits.—
Tim Corlett,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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When the sun is just skimming across the horizon and ducking behind other peaks, all the heat that the sun baked into the snow and rocks during the day evaporates—fast.—
Outside,
Outside,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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We are accustomed to billionaires who bestride the landscape with the imperial arrogance of Roman emperors.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
14 Dec. 2025
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Sovereignty, the Triple Crown Class of 2025’s Derby and Belmont victor and Saratoga-man-of-the-minute, bestrides the ultra-short Travers Stakes field of five as an undisputed equine colossus.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Since arriving, Jaissle has fielded teams comprised partly of recognisable names, all on decadent wages, and more modest players.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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This clean look comprises just a few coats of polished pale pink.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddle. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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