1
as in to perch
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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to span
to be on both sides of (something)
The town straddles the river. The movie straddles the line between comedy and drama.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to shake
to agree with or seem to agree with two opposite sides of (something)
The politician straddled the issue for weeks.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of straddle
While straddling a quarterback situation that could have divided the locker room, Canales never wavered.
—
Joseph Person, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
These hybrid molecules have the ability to straddle the boundary between two worlds, helping mayonnaise to achieve maximum airiness, chocolate to stay creamy, and peanut butter to avoid needing to be stirred.
—Ali Bouzari, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Relying on acquisitions early on, Amazon MGM Studios under Salke emerged as a major movie producer straddling theatrical and digital distribution.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2025
Elmhirst has directed two other film projects that have also straddled both film and art spaces.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straddle
Joseph Person, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
These hybrid molecules have the ability to straddle the boundary between two worlds, helping mayonnaise to achieve maximum airiness, chocolate to stay creamy, and peanut butter to avoid needing to be stirred.
—Ali Bouzari, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Relying on acquisitions early on, Amazon MGM Studios under Salke emerged as a major movie producer straddling theatrical and digital distribution.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2025
Elmhirst has directed two other film projects that have also straddled both film and art spaces.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddle
Verb
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Head to Dockside Restaurant for a relaxed Carolina seafood spot perched right on the water's edge.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
17 Apr. 2025
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Tina Fey is wearing a matching pajama set, perched on the edge of an oversized chair and discussing her tenure as a receptionist at the Evanston, Illinois, YMCA in the early ’90s.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Croatan spans 160,000 acres and includes pine forests, saltwater estuaries, bogs, and raised swamps.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
18 Apr. 2025
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There are 14 parks in Texas, two National Parks and three national trails which also span into neighboring states.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The back-and-forth over tariffs shook confidence in U.S. leadership, exposed fractures within Trump’s team and rattled companies that rely on global sources for products and international customers for sales.—
Time,
Time,
10 Apr. 2025
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After days of plunging market share scares, Wall Street saw significant gains on Tuesday for the first time after Trump’s tariffs announcement shook investors and rattled company shares.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Kennedy sat across from her flanked by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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The singer was sitting behind President Trump, Elon Musk and Kid Rock.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Located within the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, the indoor-outdoor dining restaurant celebrates the intersecting cultures of Turkey, Greece, and Lebanon in a sophisticated yet relaxed setting with cool Mediterranean tones and lush greenery.—
Amber Love Bond,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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The open question is how those deflationary forces will intersect with tariffs, including a cumulative 54% on Chinese imports, 46% on Vietnam, and 20% on the European Union.—
Neil Irwin,
Axios,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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New Yorkers spend so much time ducking crises that get lobbed at them like Molotov cocktails that the need to prepare the post-automotive city feels less immediate.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
18 Apr. 2025
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Mexican news outlets, including El Universal, reported that video surveillance showed Hernandez managed to escape while running almost naked through the streets before ducking under a tarp that was covering a vehicle.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Humanity bestrides the planet, explores the cosmos, and continues to reshape itself because humans are the world’s most inventive, adaptable animal.—
Nicholas Eberstadt,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Oct. 2024
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The United States will once again bestride the world like a colossus deterring enemies and making other nations safe from the likes of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.—
Armstrong Williams,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Their faculties comprise some of the cleverest lawyers in the land.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2025
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Noncitizen immigrants comprised almost 13% of the health care workforce in New York, almost 10% in Florida and 9% in California, researchers estimated.—
Ronnie Cohen,
NPR,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Straddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddle. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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