straddle
verb
strad·dle
| \ ˈstra-dᵊl
\
\
straddled;
straddling\ ˈstrad-liŋ
, ˈstra-dᵊl-iŋ \
, ˈstra-dᵊl-iŋ \
Definition of straddle
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
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
straddle the fence
: to be in a position of neutrality or indecision
straddle
nounDefinition of straddle (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: the act or position of one who straddles
2
: a noncommittal or equivocal position
3
: spread sense 5
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from straddle
Verb
straddler
\ ˈstrad-lər
, ˈstra-dᵊl-ər \
noun
, ˈstra-dᵊl-ər \
noun
Examples of straddle in a Sentence
Verb
Turkey straddles Asia and Europe.Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Instead, the split IPO will straddle the Saudi stock exchange and most likely Tokyo, the Wall Street Journal reports. — David Meyer, Fortune, "The Three Biggest Risks Facing CEOs: CEO Daily," 30 Aug. 2019 Thick slices of duck, a tad too magenta, straddled an irresistible plank of fried bread. — Shauna Lyon, The New Yorker, "At L’Accolade, Artful Appetizers Pose as Drinking Food," 17 Aug. 2019 Kristine’s Barbies, like Kristine, straddled contrasting worlds. — Jason Deparle, New York Times, "What Makes an American?," 9 Aug. 2019 The store's security camera shows that during that time, Salamoni had straddled Sterling, and Lake had crouched over him and pulled out a gun, pointing at the man's head. — Christina Maxouris, CNN, "A judge has ordered the city of Baton Rouge to turn over a psychological evaluation for the officer who shot and killed Alton Sterling," 6 Aug. 2019 The demolitions capped a years-long legal battle over the buildings, built along the invisible line straddling the city and the occupied West Bank. — NBC News, "Israeli crews demolish Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem," 22 July 2019 Monday’s demolitions cap a years-long legal battle over the buildings, which straddle the city and the occupied West Bank. — Washington Post, "Israeli crews demolish Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem," 22 July 2019 The boundaries of Elm Grove and Woodridge Village straddle the boundaries of Harris and Montgomery counties, further complicating the dispute. — Kaila Contreras, Houston Chronicle, "Kingwood residents file suit after hundreds of homes damaged during May floods," 13 July 2019 Bjork, the ultimate genre-straddling artist, also sounds amazing and engaging through the Ten 5s. — Vlad Savov, The Verge, "Fender Ten 5 review: all about that treble," 9 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Claire Marin and Cathy Leidersdorff’s home straddles New York State’s Delaware and Sullivan Counties, on a sprawling, wooded 32-acre lot in the Catskill mountains, not far from the Delaware River. — Samantha Weiss Hills, Curbed, "Entrepreneur, and beekeeper, Claire Marin opens the door to her home near New York’s Catskill Mountains," 8 July 2019 The leadership of Pima County strongly opposes Rosemont, as do the two members of Congress whose districts the site straddles, Raúl Grijalva and Ann Kirkpatrick. — Douglas Main, National Geographic, "In a land of wild cats and scarce water, a battle over mining heats up," 25 Apr. 2019 The percentages are derived from an options trade known as a straddle, which entails buying both bullish and bearish contracts that can be exercised at the same price for the stock. — Gunjan Banerji, WSJ, "Options Suggest Big Moves in Facebook, Apple, Alibaba Stock," 29 Oct. 2018 The sprawling, 11-square-mile piece of land straddles Interstates 20 and 30 (near where the two highways merge) and is in the Aledo school district. — Gordon Dickson, star-telegram, "This former ranch could have 50,000 Fort Worth residents. 'In 10 years, this will be a city in itself'," 9 July 2018 District 5 straddles parts of Miami and Miami Beach, with a heavy concentration of active voters in Little Havana and other enclaves when older Cuban-American voters are considered vital to win in low-turnout elections. — Douglas Hanks, miamiherald, "Eileen Higgins wins Miami-Dade commission seat in upset over Zoraida Barreiro," 19 June 2018 This 13,000-square-mile swathe of shhh straddles West Virginia’s border with Virginia and Maryland. — Laura Mallonee, WIRED, "Want to Hunt Aliens? Go to West Virginia's Low-Tech 'Quiet Zone'," 3 May 2018 This year’s draft straddles that temperamental crisis more than most. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "The Big Questions That Will Shape the NFL Draft," 26 Apr. 2018 Today, the spot where President Garfield was shot straddles Constitution Avenue between the National Gallery of Art and the Federal Trade Commission across the street, one of the busiest spots in the city. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Tariffs give endangered Dems an out," 7 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'straddle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for straddle
straddle
verb
English Language Learners Definition of straddle
: to sit or ride with a leg on either side of (something)
: to be on both sides of (something)
: to have parts that are in (different places, regions, etc.)
See the full definition for straddle in the English Language Learners Dictionary
straddle
verb
strad·dle
| \ ˈstra-dᵊl
\
\
straddled;
straddling
Kids Definition of straddle
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.
straddle
noun