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.
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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.
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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.
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of straddle
Coal ash from the Powder River Basin, which straddles Wyoming and Montana, has the lowest average concentration of elements but more than 70% can be extracted.
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Laura Paddison, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
What Mike loves most are characters who straddle silliness and intelligence.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2024
In a post on X rival Bluesky, Eliot Higgins, founder of investigative journalism website Bellingcat, said the mountain in the background of Trump's picture is actually the Matterhorn, which straddles the border between Italy and Switzerland, rather than one from Canada.
—Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
The move Saturday gave firefighters maneuvering room for the heavy equipment needed to combat the blaze straddling the New York-New Jersey border.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 18 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for straddle 
Laura Paddison, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
What Mike loves most are characters who straddle silliness and intelligence.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2024
In a post on X rival Bluesky, Eliot Higgins, founder of investigative journalism website Bellingcat, said the mountain in the background of Trump's picture is actually the Matterhorn, which straddles the border between Italy and Switzerland, rather than one from Canada.
—Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
The move Saturday gave firefighters maneuvering room for the heavy equipment needed to combat the blaze straddling the New York-New Jersey border.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 18 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for straddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddle
Verb
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Her mother has been juggling three jobs, including a remote marketing job that requires her to begin working at 2 a.m., perched on the bathroom toilet while her family sleeps.Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024
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In Tucson, that could include the water now perched under an old landfill, waiting to be cleaned.Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In total, the complex spans 191,000 square feet and includes a single-story gallery building with four exhibition spaces, a curatorial education building and a two-story digital arts building.Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024
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In 2024, archaeological evidence of armed conflicts spanned the ancient era through World War II.Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The Texas Cheerleader Murder Plot delves into a crime that shook the town of Channelview, Texas, in 1991.Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
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In the men’s flyweight division, Manel Kape put on a masterful performance, shaking off three low blows from Bruno Silva to earn the third-round TKO victory.Brian Mazique, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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On the first afternoon, new homeless friends and we, the pilgrims, sat together on the grass.Judy Knotts, Austin American-Statesman, 27 Dec. 2024
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Learning to sit with and really feel those urges will pay off in the long run too.Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The various characters intersect at the shop run by the very mysterious shopkeeper played by Ju Ji-hoon.Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
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Panzi, previously hit by a typhoid outbreak two years ago, faces intersecting public health crises, including a seasonal flu resurgence, widespread malnutrition and low vaccination rates, all of which render children particularly vulnerable.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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While China has so far managed to duck a major recession, the government may have become too complacent about the deleveraging process, and the possibility that this accelerates downwards, dramatically so as was the case for Greece, or tortuously as was the case for Japan.Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
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During the seven-hour flight, Ms. Dali tried to avoid notice by ducking into the aircraft’s bathrooms.Patrick McGeehan, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Meanwhile, people aged 65 and older now comprise nearly 30 percent of the population.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
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Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 17 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Straddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddle. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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