straddle
1 of 2verb
strad·dle ˈstra-dᵊl 
straddled; straddling ˈstrad-liŋ
ˈstra-dᵊl-iŋ
intransitive verb
1
: to stand, sit, or walk with the legs wide apart
especially : to sit astride
2
: to spread out irregularly : sprawl
3
: to favor or seem to favor two apparently opposite sides
4
: to execute a commodities market spread
transitive verb
1
: to stand, sit, or be astride of
straddle a horse
campsites straddling the river
2
: to be noncommittal in regard to
straddle an issue
3
: to belong in part to (each of several categories)
a movie straddling genres
straddler
ˈstrad-lər
noun ˈstra-dᵊl-ər
straddle
2 of 2noun
1
: the act or position of one who straddles
2
: a noncommittal or equivocal position
3
: spread sense 5
Example Sentences
Verb Turkey straddles Asia and Europe.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ahmed Almheiri, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2022 These straddle the competition section and the Venice market. Vivienne Chow, Variety, 30 Aug. 2022 If you’re invited to a similar do, a dress like this—cotton but intriguingly pattern-blocked, ruffled and with a lace waist—can straddle the worlds of formal and fun. Jessica Iredale, WSJ, 14 May 2022 The towels also straddle just the right consistency between a too-thick bath sheet (not ideal for warmer months) and wafer-thin towels that aren't capable of soaking up much. Melissa Epifano, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2022 Narrators straddle the publishing and entertainment fields, yet often reap the financial upside of neither. Rachel Levin, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022 That’s where there’s a stout south to north temperature contrast — or a boundary thunderstorms to straddle — and plenty of wind energy aloft. Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 5 July 2022 The mine workings straddle the hydrological divide separating the Price River and San Rafael River drainages. Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 June 2022 In Costa Rica, some properties straddle the line between hillside and beachfront. Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2022 Clay Chandler, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2022 But as Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians grow more obvious, frequent and bloody, the China straddle becomes more difficult. David Meyer, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2022 The Biden White House is making the case that China's straddle on the war is unsustainable. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 18 Mar. 2022 After police saw a car straddle multiple lanes and drive through a red light, a registration check showed that the plates were expired and the driver’s license was suspended, resulting in a traffic stop on Nov. 14. Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 18 Nov. 2021 Youngkin's straddle to avoid alienating both Trump voters and suburbanites might not work quite so well across Virginia state lines. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 3 Nov. 2021 Nine seats already are exclusively on the East Side, compared to just six on the West Side (two straddle the Cuyahoga River). Robert Higgs, cleveland, 1 Sep. 2021 That will involve developing autonomous cranes and straddle carriers -- vehicles that place containers onto ships. Rochelle Beighton, CNN, 25 Aug. 2021 The zone between France and the U.K. will necessarily maintain a certain strategic importance for the industry – over 100 species of fish straddle EU-U.K. waters. Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 June 2021 See More
Verb
Particle pairs that straddle the event horizon of a black hole, however, become forever separated from one another. Ahmed Almheiri, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2022 These straddle the competition section and the Venice market. Vivienne Chow, Variety, 30 Aug. 2022 If you’re invited to a similar do, a dress like this—cotton but intriguingly pattern-blocked, ruffled and with a lace waist—can straddle the worlds of formal and fun. Jessica Iredale, WSJ, 14 May 2022 The towels also straddle just the right consistency between a too-thick bath sheet (not ideal for warmer months) and wafer-thin towels that aren't capable of soaking up much. Melissa Epifano, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2022 Narrators straddle the publishing and entertainment fields, yet often reap the financial upside of neither. Rachel Levin, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022 That’s where there’s a stout south to north temperature contrast — or a boundary thunderstorms to straddle — and plenty of wind energy aloft. Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 5 July 2022 The mine workings straddle the hydrological divide separating the Price River and San Rafael River drainages. Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 June 2022 In Costa Rica, some properties straddle the line between hillside and beachfront. Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2022 Noun
But that straddle may not be enough to protect China from Western reprisals. Clay Chandler, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2022 But as Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians grow more obvious, frequent and bloody, the China straddle becomes more difficult. David Meyer, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2022 The Biden White House is making the case that China's straddle on the war is unsustainable. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 18 Mar. 2022 After police saw a car straddle multiple lanes and drive through a red light, a registration check showed that the plates were expired and the driver’s license was suspended, resulting in a traffic stop on Nov. 14. Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 18 Nov. 2021 Youngkin's straddle to avoid alienating both Trump voters and suburbanites might not work quite so well across Virginia state lines. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 3 Nov. 2021 Nine seats already are exclusively on the East Side, compared to just six on the West Side (two straddle the Cuyahoga River). Robert Higgs, cleveland, 1 Sep. 2021 That will involve developing autonomous cranes and straddle carriers -- vehicles that place containers onto ships. Rochelle Beighton, CNN, 25 Aug. 2021 The zone between France and the U.K. will necessarily maintain a certain strategic importance for the industry – over 100 species of fish straddle EU-U.K. waters. Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 June 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
irregular from stride
First Known Use
Verb
1565, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing straddle
Kids Definition
straddle
verb
strad·dle ˈstra-dᵊl
straddled; straddling
1
: to stand, sit, or walk with the legs spread wide apart
2
: to stand, sit, or ride with a leg on either side of
He straddled the horse.
3
: to seem to favor two opposite sides of
Not wanting to offend anyone, she straddled the issue.
Legal Definition
straddle
noun
strad·dle
ˈstrad-ᵊl
: the purchase of an equal number of put options and call options on the same underlying securities with the same price and maturity date
straddle the fence
phrase
as in weasel
to avoid giving a definite answer or position I'd straddle the fence long enough and it was time to make a decision. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- weasel
- duck
- shake
- waffle
- hedge
- dodge
- beat around the bush
- beat about the bush
- hem and haw
- fudge
- equivocate
- pussyfoot
- evade
- elude
- tergiversate
- skirt
- bypass
- shun
- eschew
- circumvent
- flip-flop
- yo-yo
- shirk
- straddle
- sidestep
- cavil
- quibble