1
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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2
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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3
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
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Recent Examples of straddles
That building, which opened in 2018, straddles high- and moderate-risk flood zones.
—
Lauren Sausser and Holly K. Hacker, The Tennessean, 30 Dec. 2024
Middletown straddles Butler and Warren counties and sits about halfway between Cincinnati and Dayton.
—Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 26 Dec. 2024
The tract, 100 miles long and 40 miles wide, straddles New Mexico and Texas.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
California’s largest inland lake, which straddles Riverside and Imperial counties, is in fact beautiful.
—Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Coal ash from the Powder River Basin, which straddles Wyoming and Montana, has the lowest average concentration of elements but more than 70% can be extracted.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
The mysterious artifact came to light in the vicinity of Bashplemi Lake in Georgia, a transcontinental country that straddles the boundary between Eastern Europe and West Asia.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
The reality is that the Neo 16 straddles two worlds, targeting both content creators and gamers.
—PCMAG, 27 Nov. 2024
Eye-catching in its texture and simplicity, the box straddles the line between rustic and modern.
—Miles Walls, People.com, 23 Nov. 2024
Lauren Sausser and Holly K. Hacker, The Tennessean, 30 Dec. 2024
Middletown straddles Butler and Warren counties and sits about halfway between Cincinnati and Dayton.
—Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 26 Dec. 2024
The tract, 100 miles long and 40 miles wide, straddles New Mexico and Texas.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
California’s largest inland lake, which straddles Riverside and Imperial counties, is in fact beautiful.
—Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Coal ash from the Powder River Basin, which straddles Wyoming and Montana, has the lowest average concentration of elements but more than 70% can be extracted.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
The mysterious artifact came to light in the vicinity of Bashplemi Lake in Georgia, a transcontinental country that straddles the boundary between Eastern Europe and West Asia.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
The reality is that the Neo 16 straddles two worlds, targeting both content creators and gamers.
—PCMAG, 27 Nov. 2024
Eye-catching in its texture and simplicity, the box straddles the line between rustic and modern.
—Miles Walls, People.com, 23 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddles
Verb
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Looking around the restaurant patio at the Chateau Marmont, populated by folks famous and fame-adjacent, some whispering, others talking at a volume that seems less an invitation than a demand to eavesdrop, the filmmaker shakes his head and smiles.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2024
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Dexter has a panicked, sickened feeling after seeing his first dead kid, and the whole experience shakes him to his core.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Accessible by ferry from Port Aransas, which sits just across the shipping channel, this 21-mile-long island offers nothing more than pristine Gulf Coast wilderness, and keen-eyed travelers often stumble upon sand dollars, lightning whelks, angel wings, and conchs.—
Nicholas DeRenzo,
AFAR Media,
6 Jan. 2025
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The death toll in last month's attack at a German Christmas market now sits at six after a woman was unable to recover from her injuries.—
Elizabeth Pritchett,
Fox News,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Your industry intersects with policy as well.—
Christopher Marquis,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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But it's classified as an Apollo-type asteroid, meaning its orbit regularly intersects that of Earth, thus creating the potential for an impact.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The primary suite sprawls over the entire second level and connects to an incredible private terrace overlooking the pool and ocean beyond.—
Emma Reynolds,
Robb Report,
23 Dec. 2024
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In New Jersey, some were spotted over the Picatinny Arsenal, an active weapons research and development facility owned by the Army that sprawls across nearly 6,000 acres.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA TODAY,
18 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Straddles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddles. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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