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 This will be good for no one, especially the auto industry that straddles both countries. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026 Parton played herself in the 2005 follow-up to 2000’s Miss Congeniality, which featured a scene where Bullock’s character, FBI agent Gracie Hart, tackles and straddles the country music legend—mistaking her for a Vegas impersonator. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Aug. 2026 This town sits in the Central Idaho Rockies, straddling national forests in the Wood River Valley. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Back on ground level, The Patio is a more relaxed bar straddling the entrance of the restaurant. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 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
  • There was a time, the woman said, when rolling down the road meant perching on her husband’s back seat.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Just bring a chair and perch up on the sidewalk along Northwest 15th Avenue in Miami outside the bookstore.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of perch
Verb
  • The kingdom spanned several hundred years until it was annexed into British Ceylon in 1815.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • As the kingdom plans for life after oil, crude has become a muse, with art spanning the eras before, during, and after it.
    — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of span
Verb
  • Beck didn’t participate in the book, but Riesman finds enough friends, family and associates to assemble a complex portrait of an artist who wants his audiences to see him as fashion-forward but has had a hard time shaking his past.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Thunderous applause may greet one documentary premiering at the Venice Film Festival, fitting for a story of athletes who shake the earth with every footfall.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of shake
Verb
  • This pretty hamlet sits right on the Connecticut river in the foothills of the Green Mountains, so expect undulating blankets of colorful foliage in every direction.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The company licensed the intellectual property related to the approach from the National Eye Institute, which sits within the National Institutes of Health.
    — Emma Clapp, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of sit
Verb
  • The style features dazzling dainty straps intersecting across the toes and an ankle strap adorned with lemon and leaf ornaments.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Jackson County Counselor Bryan Covinsky said that a hearing was not required since the transit tax would not intersect with local or state statutes.
    — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of intersect
Verb
  • People forced to duck TikTokers and TMZ don’t want to expose every aspect of their incomes and daily lives to strangers, then live somewhere where everyone knows everyone’s business.
    — Bridget Read, Curbed, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Paxton has so far failed to hold large campaign events and is ducking debates.
    — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 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
  • After the invention of the internal combustion engine in 1885, the auto industry had comprised skilled laborers producing a few bespoke vehicles—affordable only to an upper stratum of society.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Marchino was one of four judges who comprised the court’s ruling panel for the hearing, which lasted all day on Tuesday August 25 at the FIA’s headquarters in Paris, France.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 4 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 7 Sep. 2026.

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