straddles

verb

present tense third-person singular of straddle
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

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 Fraying friendship Thanks to a geographic quirk, Louis Patenaude’s freight business straddles the border between the US and Canada. — Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026 Her social-media career straddles her professional and personal lives. — Katie Whyatt, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 When Fyodor drags himself on the floor, begging for forgiveness or a bit more money to play roulette, the gesture straddles the line between humor and intense discomfort — veering into cringe comedy. — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 The martini, like no other cocktail, straddles the line between timelessness and trendiness. — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 2 Sep. 2026 The body of water, which straddles the US-Canada border, gave its name to the Canadian province rather than the other way around. — ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026 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 And as a guy in power armor, Iron Man straddles the line of being a mecha, but his Marvel Tokon design spotlights Gundam and Tekkaman influences. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddles
  1. perches
  2. spans
  3. shakes
  4. sits
  5. intersects
  6. ducks
  7. sprawls
  8. evades
Verb
  • At the top of the hill, in a completely different style, perches the Neoclassical royal palace.
    — Benjamin Moser, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 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
  • Euan Ashley is chair of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University and a physician-scientist whose research spans genomics, precision medicine, digital health, and artificial intelligence.
    — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
  • While the couple style spectrum spans the matchy-matchy to the alternate universes, these two are well aligned.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of spans
Verb
  • Themed milk shakes, cocktails and popcorn — in a premium new collectible Gazebo popcorn bucket that celebrates the heart of Stars Hollow’s town square — will be available for fans to purchase.
    — Carole Horst, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Her body shakes uncontrollably and her neck folds forward, making eye contact impossible.
    — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of shakes
Verb
  • The deeply pretty Georgian manor house, all honeyed Bath stone, sits at the end of an avenue of sky-high beech and lime trees, surrounded by exquisite gardens like a Jane Austen film set.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The proposal now sits with Congress, where lawmakers will have to decide whether to take it up.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of sits
Verb
  • New satellite imagery shows a growing complex near Lop Nur, where China’s nuclear testing history now intersects with its push for next-generation airpower.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The string will now form a straight line that intersects the y-axis at 12—giving the answer of 3 × 4 = 12.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 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 queue to connect to the grid sprawls interminably, as do delivery times for essential hardware.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Set atop Mount Rushmore and completed this year, the 13,000-square-foot mansion sprawls out in Pinnacle, a neighborhood within the exclusive Promontory Club enclave.
    — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of sprawls
Verb
  • Neither of those interpretations would be entirely invalid, exactly, and yet The Basics of Philosophy — ironically enough, given its title — mostly evades any such moral didacticism.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Journalists and negotiators follow up when someone evades the point.
    — Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of evades

Browse Nearby Words

straddled the fence
straddles
straddles the fence
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Cite this Entry

“Straddles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddles. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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