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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Recent Examples of straddling
Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
But Jackson stood his ground, straddling a line between his role as a rising Democratic Party figure, and as the independent interlocutor who found success in his ability to operate outside strict government lines.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Also straddling that boundary was third-generation diamantaire Sahag Arslanian.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
For more than six decades the Reverend Jesse Jackson stood as a towering figure, straddling the racial justice movement in America and mainstream party politics, bridging the civil rights struggle of the 1960s with the dramatically more confrontational Black Lives Matter campaign.
—Jimmie Briggs, Vanity Fair, 17 Feb. 2026
After straddling a gate in Run 2 of the slalom in Bormio, an emotional Atle Lie McGrath of Norway chucked his ski poles and laid down in the snow after storming off the Stelvio course.
—Isabel Yip, NBC news, 16 Feb. 2026
Gus Wenner built his career straddling the line between old and new media.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Sullivan, raised in Massachusetts and now based in New York, started her gallery as a hybrid space straddling the worlds of decorative arts and fine art, of things made yesterday and over a century ago.
—Grace Edquist, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2026
This underground ring, 27 kilometers in circumference and straddling the border between France and Switzerland, was built to slam subatomic particles together at near light speed and test deep theories of the universe.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Feb. 2026
Verb
The legislation comes as transgender Kansas Citians are straddling two states that have sought to restrict their rights.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
But Jackson stood his ground, straddling a line between his role as a rising Democratic Party figure, and as the independent interlocutor who found success in his ability to operate outside strict government lines.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Also straddling that boundary was third-generation diamantaire Sahag Arslanian.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
For more than six decades the Reverend Jesse Jackson stood as a towering figure, straddling the racial justice movement in America and mainstream party politics, bridging the civil rights struggle of the 1960s with the dramatically more confrontational Black Lives Matter campaign.
—Jimmie Briggs, Vanity Fair, 17 Feb. 2026
After straddling a gate in Run 2 of the slalom in Bormio, an emotional Atle Lie McGrath of Norway chucked his ski poles and laid down in the snow after storming off the Stelvio course.
—Isabel Yip, NBC news, 16 Feb. 2026
Gus Wenner built his career straddling the line between old and new media.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Sullivan, raised in Massachusetts and now based in New York, started her gallery as a hybrid space straddling the worlds of decorative arts and fine art, of things made yesterday and over a century ago.
—Grace Edquist, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2026
This underground ring, 27 kilometers in circumference and straddling the border between France and Switzerland, was built to slam subatomic particles together at near light speed and test deep theories of the universe.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddling
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
The department recommends staggering bloom times to make sure hummingbirds have a food source for the entire season, as well as providing a source of water and trees or tall shrubs for nesting and perching.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
24 Feb. 2026
-
In 2025, there was the Owl Arm Trend, in which Gen Z TikTokers contorted their bodies (and stretched their T-shirts) to mimic the shape of a perching owl, clinging to their friend’s arm.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The changes were slight — reductions of just one-tenth of a second and one-half of a mile to a solar lap spanning two years and hundreds of millions of miles, according to the scientists.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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But the company is not aware of any injuries or accidents spanning from either recall, NHTSA documents show.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Weak to light shaking has been detected and people reported feeling the tremor in several cities, including Geyserville, Kelseyville and Cloverdale according to the USGS DYFI report.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Mar. 2026
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But Bergeron was there every time his team needed a big stop, leaving the Vikings (15-7-2) shaking their heads many times.—
Matt Roy,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The specific numbers — $32,000 to $96,000 depending on timeline and risk tolerance — may feel distant.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Over several months, Glamour editors and testers between the ages of 30 and 60 evaluated body creams and treatments for texture, hydration, visible smoothing, and tolerance.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The courses for the athletes in the sitting category have lower gradients as the athletes rely on the upper body for pushing/pulling themselves forward while on a sit-ski.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Yet during the meetings at the Presidential Palace, Cabello was sitting directly across from Burgum, his counterpart.—
Lilia Luciano,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But faculty say the fields are broad, intersecting with health, disability studies, literature, education, information studies and public policy.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Adapting and expanding upon a lean Don Winslow novella, Layton adds many sometimes unnecessarily complex ingredients to the pot, with characters intersecting and allegiances and motivations often contradicting one another.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Post videos of catching them ducking in Statehouse hallways.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
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On an episode of Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out podcast from 2024, Birbiglia listens to Fleming tell a story about his childhood habit of perpetually running away from his mother, sprinting off into a rainstorm rather than pragmatically ducking into her car.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddling. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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