as in fence-sitting
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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.
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2
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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3
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
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Recent Examples of straddling
Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
One of the seven natural wonders of the world, the roughly mile-long waterfall is the dramatic centerpiece of the mighty Zambezi River, straddling the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 30 May 2026
Gaming hardware also saw some Memorial Day discounts, and this Alienware portable is a midrange monster, straddling the gap between price and performance better than most.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 26 May 2026
The northernmost province in Italy, bordering Austria and Switzerland and straddling the Alps and Dolomites, Alto Adige has a dual personality.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 24 May 2026
Someone would start a cheer, others would join in, and the commotion would attract a new wave of attention, phones open to streaming apps, the entire scene straddling the line between performance and audience.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Since the seventies, the famed Nuyorican Poets Café has blossomed on the Lower East Side as an essential hothouse for arts movements of many stripes, perhaps most crucially as a launching pad for an emergent literati straddling the realms of soul and hip-hop.
—Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 15 May 2026
But in April, a pair of cyclones straddling the equator caused the wind direction to reverse.
—Pedro Dinezio, The Conversation, 14 May 2026
The bear was eventually hit with a dart and fell asleep on top of a cinder block wall dividing two properties, its body straddling either side.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Verb
Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul’s walkability comes from its layered history and dramatic setting straddling Europe and Asia.
—Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
One of the seven natural wonders of the world, the roughly mile-long waterfall is the dramatic centerpiece of the mighty Zambezi River, straddling the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 30 May 2026
Gaming hardware also saw some Memorial Day discounts, and this Alienware portable is a midrange monster, straddling the gap between price and performance better than most.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 26 May 2026
The northernmost province in Italy, bordering Austria and Switzerland and straddling the Alps and Dolomites, Alto Adige has a dual personality.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 24 May 2026
Someone would start a cheer, others would join in, and the commotion would attract a new wave of attention, phones open to streaming apps, the entire scene straddling the line between performance and audience.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Since the seventies, the famed Nuyorican Poets Café has blossomed on the Lower East Side as an essential hothouse for arts movements of many stripes, perhaps most crucially as a launching pad for an emergent literati straddling the realms of soul and hip-hop.
—Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 15 May 2026
But in April, a pair of cyclones straddling the equator caused the wind direction to reverse.
—Pedro Dinezio, The Conversation, 14 May 2026
The bear was eventually hit with a dart and fell asleep on top of a cinder block wall dividing two properties, its body straddling either side.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddling
Noun
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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
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There’s merit in seeing both sides of an argument, but there’s no honor in fence-sitting forever, which is Alex’s fatal flaw.—
Anusha Praturu,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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For the meantime, drones cannot match birds in agility, endurance, co-ordination or perching.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
The bird, which appears unharmed, matches the description of a starling, a medium-sized perching bird with over 100 species.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Two Buttes Reservoir, spanning 700 acres and usually 25 feet deep, has dried out completely amid the historic drought.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
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The career-spanning performance encompassed 23 songs across three acts, showing love to massive hits and heads-know favorites alike.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
7 June 2026
Verb
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People gathered near the site to get a front row seat to the ground-shaking event.—
Abigail Dollins,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2026
-
Then, during one family movie night in November 2020, her husband noticed her arm was shaking.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Noun
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There is, however, no place for violence, and no tolerance for attacks on police officers.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
-
Reason, compassion, tolerance and compromise are foreign concepts in today’s world.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The person sitting between Sajani and Suvali, Reshma, stepped up to be Sasmita.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
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Elder’s sculpture was sitting outside of Bee Hive KC over Memorial Day Weekend when a man who was visibly angry allegedly began vandalizing the honeybee, according to Elder.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The narrative unravels a web of dark, intersecting secrets within a residential building, catalyzed by the mysterious disappearance of a young boy on the winter solstice.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
1 June 2026
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Footage of giant yellow black-eyed Susan flowers beams onto the wall from one projector, intersecting with video of swaying plants from another.—
Solvej Schou,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Now, 25 games and 577 days since the injury that put his career in jeopardy, there was All on the Bengals’ practice fields, cutting and accelerating, extending for receptions and ducking into blocking assignments.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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He was spotted ducking down in a field as traffic passed by and fled before he was found in a small cave, police have said.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddling. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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