straddling 1 of 2

noun

Definition of straddlingnext
as in fence-sitting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

straddling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of straddle
1
as in perching
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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spanning
to be on both sides of (something) The town straddles the river. The movie straddles the line between comedy and drama.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shaking
to agree with or seem to agree with two opposite sides of (something) The politician straddled the issue for weeks.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddling
  1. fence-sitting
  2. shaking
  3. tolerance
  4. sitting
  5. indifference
  6. sprawling
Noun
  • The outcome of this exceptionally tight presidential race may turn on whether Harris, in these final days of the campaign, can convince enough fence-sitting voters to embrace that message.
    David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024
  • After the meeting, three delegates who had been fence-sitting for months sought me out for the secret handshake.
    Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 17 Sep. 2024
Definition of fence-sitting
Verb
  • Symptoms like a fast heart rate, or shortness of breath, shaking and chills, confusion or lethargy.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
  • In the video, a terrified Archie can be seen frozen, staring and shaking.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of shaking
Noun
  • Regardless of who wins, social media will be abuzz with the postgame mayo shower, which is either good comedy or downright disgusting, depending on your tolerance for condiments getting poured on people.
    Dan Santaromita, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
  • The dramatic scene on April 29, 2011, was one example of how O'Reilly Jr. worked hard during his time as mayor of the city with the highest percentage of Arab Americans in the country to promote unity, tolerance and peace at a time of demographic changes.
    Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of tolerance
Verb
  • The Rockets came into Christmas Eve riding a three-game winning streak, now sitting at 20-9 and up to second overall in the Western Conference, behind just the Oklahoma City Thunder.
    Rahat Huq, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Coach Doc River played the role of Secret Santa by sitting the Bucks’ two biggest stars — Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was dealing with back spasms, and Damian Lillard, who was out with a non-COVID-19 illness.
    Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of sitting
Noun
  • This can manifest as indifference to employee concerns or an inability to see things from their perspective.
    Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
  • The first part of the novel is taken up by her pursuit of Marlowe’s attention, which persists despite his initial indifference to her.
    Laila Lalami, The Atlantic, 15 Jan. 2025
Definition of indifference
Verb
  • In addition, sources told the outlet that the actual ceremony was slated to take place on Kevin Costner’s sprawling 160-acre estate and individual private mansions would be rented out for guests to stay.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Dec. 2024
  • The sprawling case puts a spotlight on crisis publicists, who typically remain behind the scenes but have become the story here, with four separate agencies engulfed in the spectacle.
    Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of sprawling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near straddling

straddle the fence

straddling

straddling the fence

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Straddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddling. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on straddling

Nglish: Translation of straddling for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of straddling for Arabic Speakers

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