1
as in perched
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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2
as in spanned
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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3
as in shook
to agree with or seem to agree with two opposite sides of (something)
The politician straddled the issue for weeks.
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Recent Examples of straddled
The tensions are evident and the frosty relations between the countries are constantly straddled by administrators.
—
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Billed as Sublime with Rome, the project straddled the line between tribute act and reinvention.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
In Tennessee, Vrabel’s defenses straddled league average most years.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Unlike previous starts this season, Verlander wouldn’t be straddled with a no decision due to a lack of offense.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025
Arsenal’s first four goals were struck across a 22-minute burst that straddled half-time.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2025
The best response to being straddled by Jonathan Groff?
—EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Airbnb beat second-quarter forecasts and issued third-quarter sales guidance that straddled analysts' estimates.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Billed as Sublime with Rome, the project straddled the line between tribute act and reinvention.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
In Tennessee, Vrabel’s defenses straddled league average most years.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Unlike previous starts this season, Verlander wouldn’t be straddled with a no decision due to a lack of offense.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025
Arsenal’s first four goals were struck across a 22-minute burst that straddled half-time.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2025
The best response to being straddled by Jonathan Groff?
—EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Airbnb beat second-quarter forecasts and issued third-quarter sales guidance that straddled analysts' estimates.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddled
Verb
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Rugged lodges perched on sprawling acres of land offer up hiking and biking aplenty.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
1 Oct. 2025
-
City officials said the event was unrelated to the continual land movement known as the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, about 4 miles (6 kilometers) southeast, that has wreaked havoc on scores of multimillion-dollar homes perched over the Pacific Ocean.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Dickey’s criminal record spanned eight agencies.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The 37-year-old defender announced her retirement Tuesday morning, calling time on a career that spanned nearly two decades, five World Cups, and four Olympic Games.—
Melanie Anzidei,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By Brendan Kuty, Jen McCaffrey and Chris Kirschner NEW YORK — The crowd roared, and then the building shook.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Clark shook her head and said no to both questions.—
Jill Martin,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Brockington squatted 664 pounds, breaking his own record from last year by 50 pounds, and posted a vertical jump of 42 inches.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Emilie Schleer, a 37-year-old mother of two, spoke of the brazen break-in that occurred at her South End home in July, when a homeless woman squatted in her residence while her family was away for the weekend.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
So, football has always been a very big part of my life, but it’s never intersected with being an actress.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
-
In recent years, analyses have found that 97 lawmakers had bought or sold stock in companies that intersected with their committee work, including more than a dozen members who oversaw the Pentagon and had financial ties to defense contractors.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The second time her video captured the boat, the man had ducked down below, almost as if to hide from the camera.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
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Gardner ducked under the dark cloth and focused the image on the ground glass of his camera.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Levi Jones, a 33-year-old business owner, pulled up to Sacred Eye Tattoos in Hollywood last week and sat for eight hours getting a photorealistic black-and-white portrait of Mangione on his leg.—
Amanda Rosa,
Orlando Sentinel,
24 Dec. 2024
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The birthday boy and his big sister Sterling Skye, 3, each sat between one of their parents’ laps.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
24 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Straddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddled. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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