Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense straddles, present participle straddling, past tense, past participle straddled
1. verb
If you straddle something, you put or have one leg on either side of it.
He sat down, straddling the chair. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: sit astride, bestride, mount, sit with legs either side of More Synonyms of straddle
2. verb
If something straddles a river, road, border, or other place, it stretches across it or exists on both sides of it.
A small wooden bridge straddled the dike. [VERB noun]
Salcey Forest straddles the Buckingham-Northamptonshire border. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: span, cross, bridge, vault More Synonyms of straddle
3. verb
Someone or something that straddles different periods, groups, or fields of activity exists in, belongs to, or takes elements from them all.
Our lives have straddled a period of greater change than perhaps any since the endof the Roman Empire. [VERB noun]
She's a writer who straddles two genres - she writes online games as well as literarynovels. [VERB noun]
More Synonyms of straddle
straddle in British English
(ˈstrædəl)
verb
1. (transitive)
to have one leg, part, or support on each side of
2. (transitive) US and Canadian informal
to be in favour of both sides of (something)
3. (intransitive)
to stand, walk, or sit with the legs apart
4. (transitive)
to spread (the legs) apart
5. military
to fire a number of shots slightly beyond and slightly short of (a target) to determine the correct range
6. (intransitive)
(in poker, of the second player after the dealer) to double the ante before looking at one's cards
noun
7.
the act or position of straddling
8.
a noncommittal attitude or stand
9. business
a contract or option permitting its purchaser to either sell or buy securities or commodities within a specified period of time at specified prices. It is a combination of a put and a call option
Compare spread (sense 24c)
10. athletics
a high-jumping technique in which the body is parallel with the bar and the legs straddle it at the highest point of the jump
11.
(in poker) the stake put up after the ante in poker by the second player after the dealer
12. Irish
a wooden frame placed on a horse's back to which panniers are attached
Derived forms
straddler (ˈstraddler)
noun
Word origin
C16: frequentative formed from obsolete strad- (Old English strode), past stem of stride
straddle in American English
(ˈstrædəl)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈstraddled or ˈstraddling
1.
to place oneself with a leg on either side of; stand or sit astride of
2.
to spread (the legs) wide apart
3. US
to take or appear to take both sides of (an issue); avoid committing oneself on
verb intransitive
4.
to sit, stand, or walk with the legs wide apart
5.
to be spread apart
said of the legs
6. US
to straddle an issue, argument, etc.; refuse to commit oneself; hedge
noun
7.
the act or position of straddling
8.
the distance straddled
9. US
a refusal to commit oneself definitely to either side of an issue, argument, etc.
10. US
in securities and commodities trading, the holding of two options, a put and a call, as on the same stock, each option having the same specified price and expiration date: a straddle allows an investor to profit from, or protect against, swings in the price of the stock
11.
a salvo of artillery rounds, in which some fall on opposite sides of the target, indicating a hit on or near the target
Derived forms
straddler (ˈstraddler) (ˈstrædlər)
noun
Word origin
freq. of stride
straddle in Finance
(strædəl)
Word forms: (regular plural) straddles
noun
(Finance: Investment)
A straddle is the act of purchasing both call and put options for the same investment.
A straddle involves the purchase or sale of an equal number of puts and calls with the sameterms at the same time.
Where the investor expects a sharp movement in the share price, but is unsure ofthe direction it will take, the long straddle may be appropriate.
A straddle is the act of purchasing both call and put options for the same investment.
Examples of 'straddle' in a sentence
straddle
Rarely can one man have straddled two such contrasting worlds.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The pictures themselves straddle both worlds.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
Like much of his fiction, it also straddles more than one world.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Side straddle Begin with the basic bounce step.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
His time at Twickenham straddles a decade of astonishing underperformance by the team.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He himself straddled myriad worlds.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
They ply their trades in the great arenas of the world but many straddle the worlds of sport, showbusiness and celebrity through their sustained success.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
If the Yes campaign is successful, it is more likely to be a case of companies straddling both sides.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
For the most part, I have enjoyed straddling two worlds.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
I constantly feel that I am straddling two worlds and that any moment the two might collide horribly.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
A major foray into one of the most corrupt nations on earth, one straddling eight time zones, would have been much more challenging.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Word lists with
straddle
terms used in poker
In other languages
straddle
British English: straddle VERB
If you straddle something, you put or have one leg on either side of it.
He sat down, straddling the chair.
American English: straddle
Brazilian Portuguese: cavalgar
Chinese: 跨坐
European Spanish: sentarse a horcajadas
French: être à cheval sur
German: rittlings sitzen auf
Italian: stare a cavalcioni di
Japanese: 足を広げる
Korean: ~위로 다리를 벌려 걸치다
European Portuguese: cavalgar
Latin American Spanish: sentarse a horcajadas
Chinese translation of 'straddle'
straddle
(ˈstrædl)
vt
[chair, fence etc]
(sitting) 跨坐 (kuàzuò)
(standing) 跨立 (kuàlì)
[bridge, town][border, road]横(橫)跨 (héngkuà)
[period, activity]跨越 (kuàyuè)
1 (verb)
Definition
to have one leg or part on each side of (something)
He looked at her with a grin and sat down, straddling the chair.
Synonyms
sit astride
bestride
mount
He mounted his horse and rode away.
sit with legs either side of
2 (verb)
Definition
to have one leg or part on each side of (something)
A small wooden bridge straddled the dike.
Synonyms
span
cross
A bridge crosses the river about half a mile outside the village.
bridge
a tree used to bridge the river
vault
traverse
I traversed the narrow pedestrian bridge.
range over
extend across
arch across
3 (verb)
He straddles two cultures, having been brought up in Britain and later converted to Islam.
Synonyms
cover
bridge
span
the humped iron bridge spanning the railway
range over
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bridge
Definition
to build or provide a bridge over (something)
a tree used to bridge the river
Synonyms
span,
cross,
go over,
cross over,
traverse,
reach across,
extend across,
arch over
in the sense of cross
Definition
to move or go across (something)
A bridge crosses the river about half a mile outside the village.