STRADDLES Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

straddles

verb

present tense third-person singular of straddle

as in perches

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

as in spans

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

as in shakes

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 straddles The brand is the latest in the Iris portfolio that straddles health and aesthetics. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 31 July 2026 The discovery, published July 22 in the journal Nature, centers on brown bullhead catfish living in Lake Memphremagog, which straddles the Vermont-Quebec border. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 28 July 2026 Her approach often straddles a line that others have not been able to successfully navigate, one GOP strategist said. — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 27 July 2026 Merton Council approved the AELTC’s plans in October 2023, but they were rejected by Wandsworth Council (the club straddles both areas) a month later. — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Every year, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department conducts a fish census in Lake Memphremagog, which straddles northern Vermont and the Canadian province of Quebec. — Ari Daniel, NPR, 22 July 2026 In two video clips, which were sent to the Statesman by a witness, the man is face-first on the ground while one of the officers straddles him and pushes his head into the sidewalk. — Alex Brizee july 17, Idaho Statesman, 17 July 2026 Gallup-McKinley, a sprawling district twice the size of Delaware, straddles part of the Navajo Nation and has the largest Native American student population of any public school district in the country. — Bryant Furlow, ProPublica, 13 July 2026 In January the city annexed Knox Ranch, which straddles Meadow Road. — Mary Ella Hastings updated July 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddles

Verb

Head to Stoos, which perches on a plateau at the base of the Fronalpstock in central Switzerland.

— Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
Live streams from entertainment events like the Grammys or Golden Globes aren’t typically perches for controversy, but, says Anthony McCartney, AP’s entertainment and lifestyles editor, celebrities will sometimes be asked to weigh in on recent headlines.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026

Definition of perches

Verb

The ranch spans about 245 acres and sits at the junction of Highway 1 and Highway 84, with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.

— Sooji Nam, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
The assessed valuation for the site, which spans a full city block in Berkeley, was $27 million as of January 2026.

— George Avalos, Mercury News, 31 July 2026

Definition of spans

Verb

Mike Krukow shakes hands with Jackson Flora, the San Francisco Giants 1st pick of the 2026 MLB Draft, as Duane Kuiper observes at Oracle Park on July 29, 2026 in San Francisco, California.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
The team will want to have about $1 million for the deadline, but if an expensive player shakes loose in the next two months, Edmonton is in a good position to make a move.

— Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of shakes

Verb

In the living room, Arne Jacobsen’s sculptural Egg chair sits alongside a deep-green sofa by George Smith—a holdover from Hulka’s first concept for the room, and now in conversation with the willows outside.

— Laura Regensdorf, Architectural Digest, 5 Aug. 2026
At the opposite end of the upper ground level sits a hunter-green kitchen with herringbone wood floors.

— Tori Latham, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of sits

Verb

Their simulations focused on where the protective layer intersects the electrolyte, the lithium metal anode, and the cathode materials.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026
That answer matters because audiences have become increasingly skeptical whenever patriotism intersects with marketing.

— Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

Definition of intersects

Verb

In the video, the subject ducks his head in the opposite direction of the doorbell camera.

— Michael Ruiz , Adam Sabes , Christina Dugan Ramirez , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Julia Bonavita , Peter D'Abrosca , Alexandra Koch , Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
The sun ducks down and sets Conejo Mountain against warm pinks and purples, transforming the ridgeline into an epic silhouette.

— Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025

Definition of ducks

Verb

The first national park to have been assembled almost entirely out of land donated to the federal government, Acadia sprawls across roughly 50,000 acres of Mount Desert Island.

— Dinaw Mengestu, Travel + Leisure, 28 July 2026
Open side windows offer a panoramic view of farmland that sprawls in all directions.

— Midwest Living, Midwest Living, 6 July 2026

Definition of sprawls

Verb

This skin-crawling faux-documentary concerns a prolific New York serial killer who evades capture despite recording his brazen crimes.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
However, Noussair Mazraoui evades Casemiro’s challenge far too easily before Bilal El Khannouss releases Achraf Hakimi on the far side.

— Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 July 2026