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
This axis also straddles two of the countries with the most muscular production and VFX tax incentives in Europe.
—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
23 June 2026
Black Lake, for example, straddles two counties — Cheboygan, which has a 2012 FEMA flood plain map, and Presque Isle, where most areas have never been mapped.
—
Tammy Webber,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
Though the park straddles the border of Maryland and Virginia, camping at Assateague is available only on the Maryland side.
—
Andrea Romano,
Travel + Leisure,
23 June 2026
Just outside Charlotte, the park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina border, with the state line marked through the plaza.
—
Jacqueline Dole,
Southern Living,
22 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for straddle
John Hopewell,
Variety,
23 June 2026
Black Lake, for example, straddles two counties — Cheboygan, which has a 2012 FEMA flood plain map, and Presque Isle, where most areas have never been mapped.
—
Tammy Webber,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
Though the park straddles the border of Maryland and Virginia, camping at Assateague is available only on the Maryland side.
—
Andrea Romano,
Travel + Leisure,
23 June 2026
Just outside Charlotte, the park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina border, with the state line marked through the plaza.
—
Jacqueline Dole,
Southern Living,
22 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for straddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddle
Verb
-
Hop the Matterhorn Glacier Ride cable car to the Klein Matterhorn, perched at about 12,500 feet.
-
Kalaloch is located along the Pacific coast on the western side of Olympic National Park, perched above a series of long sandy beaches.
Verb
-
Its qualities spanned the flavor bridge between scallop and lobster.
-
The divide is most prominent in the 10th Congressional District, which spans Lower Manhattan and brownstone neighborhoods of Brooklyn like Cobble Hill and Park Slope.
Verb
-
Hernández said Rossi Ydrogo had just called his brother in Caracas 20 minutes before the earth started to shake.
-
In Venezuela, rescue teams have been racing against the clock to pull survivors from the rubble after two powerful earthquakes shook the northern state of La Guaira last Wednesday.
Verb
-
He’s been known to blow up legislation, make surprise nominations, rage-post about sitting Republican lawmakers and retaliate by endorsing their primary opponents.
-
Nearly a year ago, CBS Colorado reported on the home, which had sat vacant for more than six years while falling into severe disrepair.
Verb
-
With 24 main characters interwoven around the town of Nashville, home of country music and intersecting political undercurrents, the film tries to make sense of the chaos.
-
If the path of the comet intersects with Earth’s orbit, the Earth will collide with these debris fields in its yearly orbit around the Sun.
Verb
-
Collin Morikawa birdied 18 to catch Scheffler and ducked into the clubhouse at 20 under as the rains descended upon the TPC River Highlands.
-
The Thunder traded guards Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, respectively, shedding their contracts to try to duck under the NBA’s punitive second-apron threshold.
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.
-
The Lone Star State is already a literal powerhouse that bestrides domestic energy production.
Verb
-
In 2024, according to Space Foundation estimates, the commercial space products and services industry comprised well over half of the economy’s total value, a shift largely attributed to the enhancement and expansion of satellite technology.
-
The clone also comprised a large portion of the Chardonnay vines used in the famous 1973 Château Montelena Chardonnay that won the historic 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting, defeating many of France's top white Burgundies.
Cite this Entry
“Straddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddle. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
