straddling 1 of 2

straddling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of straddle
1
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.

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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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
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 Mythical creatures, too, soaked in the supernatural; half-men, half-animals who evaded classification—centaurs and satyrs, fauns and werewolves—straddling the boundary between man and beast. — Literary Hub, 30 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
Verb
  • No club have spent more time perching on the highest rung of English football than Everton.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • There was a time, the woman said, when rolling down the road meant perching on her husband’s back seat.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Despite recent calls from tech giants for a slowdown in AI development, capital expenditure on AI infrastructure remains on an expansion path, spanning data centers, chips, and power generation.
    — , CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The company had been aiming for a 10-hour flight, spanning six full laps around Earth, to prove its readiness for NASA's Artemis moon program.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Barra has since navigated a global pandemic, tariffs and supply-chain chaos, and the rise of AI as an unstoppable and industry-shaking force.
    — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • For months before today’s launch, Google has been anticipating those problems on Earth, shaking spacecraft to simulate the launch and bombarding its chips with proton beams to test their response to radiation.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Businesses need greater visibility into where their margins are exposed, along with the flexibility to set their own risk tolerance and tailor their response to different behaviors.
    — Sarita Singh, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Avoiding Hard Conversations Ineffective managers avoid hard conversations and let issues fester to keep the peace, but silence reads as tolerance.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Back in the present, the Halogram (last updated in 2006) susses out that John is lying about the grandeur of Hal’s funeral when the former protégé mentions sitting next to MOGO, the Lantern who famously doesn’t socialize.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
  • This led to his first moment of sitting during the anthem, which started the protest that would draw national attention.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The style features dazzling dainty straps intersecting across the toes and an ankle strap adorned with lemon and leaf ornaments.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • That innovation is also intersecting with the growth of artificial intelligence capabilities, according to Hendrik Venter, CEO of DHL Supply Chain.
    — Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 25 July 2026
Verb
  • Deputies quickly detained Mendiola after witnesses, who were ducking for cover, pointed him out.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Paxton has so far failed to hold large campaign events and is ducking debates.
    — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Straddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddling. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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