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 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 The brand is the latest in the Iris portfolio that straddles health and aesthetics. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 31 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

This wider story spans five centuries from the first enslavement of the Caribbean Lucayan and Taíno in 1492 to the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978, which slowly halted the stealing of tens of thousands of Native children through adoptions.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Picturesque Caribbean-blue water — dyed that way with food-grade pigment as an aesthetic choice and an algae growth inhibitor — spans a quarter-mile of Valensin’s property.

— Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of spans

Verb

And a small set sits close enough to the core product that the expertise has to stay inside.

— Sergey Stopnevich, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
The club has struggled to maintain meaningful momentum this year and sits 11th in the NWSL standings with a 9-12-3 record (win-loss-draw).

— Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 14 Sep. 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

Located at 277 Rue Saint-Honoré, the Paris flagship sprawls over seven floors and roughly 30,000 square feet.

— Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026
Blanketing its base, Penyagolosa Natural Park sprawls an expansive woodland with hiking and cycling trails that culminate atop Mount Penyagolosa.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 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