STRADDLING Synonyms: 155 Similar and Opposite Words

straddling 1 of 2

noun

as in fence-sitting

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straddling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of straddle

as in perching

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 spanning

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 shaking

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 straddling

Verb

Ultimately, six people—Skarsgård, Colman, Fischer, Wilson, intimacy coordinator Ita O’Brien, and Oscar-winning cinematographer Lol Crawley—all experimented with positions together, straddling each other in odd ways to block the scenes. — Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026 Wiener not only leaves behind a richly complex body of work straddling textiles, painting, photographs, and collages, but also a career intricately connected to one of the most important chapters of Austrian art. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Bajo Chiquito sits on the Tuquesa River at the northern end of the Darién Gap, the more than sixty-mile stretch of formidable terrain and riverine forest straddling Panama and Colombia. — Belén Fernández, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 As the camera zooms out, the actress is revealed to be nude straddling a basketball hoop while spinning a ball on her finger like a Harlem Globetrotter. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026 This town sits in the Central Idaho Rockies, straddling national forests in the Wood River Valley. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Back on ground level, The Patio is a more relaxed bar straddling the entrance of the restaurant. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026 An example is the rare Enantio, from the mountainous region straddling Veneto and Trentino. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2026 In the world of traffic oddities, one car straddling a bike path median — like a gymnast poised on a balance beam — could be called a fluke. — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddling

Noun

Keeping four quarterbacks could be seen as another fence-sitting move.

— Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Lower mortgage rates will spur some fence-sitting buyers into action and increase sales volumes over last year.

— Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026

Definition of fence-sitting

Verb

The mixtape’s 29 tracks feature guests spanning a range of genres and levels of visibility.

— Abby Jones, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026
The company continues to be organized around the three pillars of events and experiential production; creative and communications services, and influence, spanning media, public relations and cultural initiatives.

— Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of spanning

Verb

There’s seat-shaking violence in how the whale breaches the surface and slams its weight back down (the crafty sound design is by James Miller) and body horror in its claustrophobic, spongy inner chambers.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Just below the broad smile he’s been wearing all morning, John Ternus’ hands are shaking.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of shaking

Verb

Unfortunately, Mascis has developed a similar reputation as an interview subject, quietly sitting and offering deft nonanswers.

— Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026
There is something fitting about seeing Deakins, whose work is so often studied and dissected by others, sitting among the audience, still looking and listening.

— Callum McLennan, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of sitting

Verb

Political stratagems in art were shifting in places like New York and Los Angeles, and the Pictures Generation’s ethos began to speak to young Black and brown artists, ultimately intersecting with their desire for representation.

— Hilton Als, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
The Draconids are the result of Earth intersecting with a trail from the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, and occurs in October each year when the planet nears the comet’s orbit.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of intersecting

Verb

Lastly, try ducking into Casey Rubber Stamps, founded in 1979, in the West Village, and a neighborhood fixture since 2003.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
The system lets robots choose suitable movements, such as stepping over objects, ducking under overhead barriers, or turning sideways to pass through narrow gaps.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026