straddled; straddling
ˈstrad-liŋ 
ˈstra-dᵊl-iŋ
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
Examples of straddle in a Sentence
Verb
Turkey straddles Asia and Europe.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Editors, Robb Report, 14 June 2024
Aleksander Ceferin, European soccer’s top administrator, has tried to straddle the divide.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 7 June 2024
Patrick Frater, Variety, 20 June 2024
The rhetorical straddles Adams used to win 2021’s crowded and complicated mayoral race are a big part of why he’s saddled with a record low 28% approval rating after two years on the job.
—Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for straddle 
Verb
Photo : Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images Social Justice: Crystal Hayling
As a southern Black woman educated at Yale and Stanford, Crystal Hayling knows how to straddle different worlds.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 14 June 2024
Aleksander Ceferin, European soccer’s top administrator, has tried to straddle the divide.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 7 June 2024
Noun
Popular on Variety Alibaba Pictures, which has activities that straddle film investment, production, distribution and marketing, has been seen to take different positions in the past – including lead promotor, joint distributor, co-producer, in-house producer and licensor.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 20 June 2024
The rhetorical straddles Adams used to win 2021’s crowded and complicated mayoral race are a big part of why he’s saddled with a record low 28% approval rating after two years on the job.
—Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for straddle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'straddle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near straddle
Cite this Entry
“Straddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straddle. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
straddle
1 of 2 verb
strad·dle
ˈstrad-ᵊl
straddled; straddling
ˈstrad-liŋ
-ᵊl-iŋ
1
: to stand, sit, or walk with the legs wide apart
2
: to approve or seem to approve two apparently opposite sides
straddle a question
straddle
2 of 2 noun
: the act or position of one that straddles
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