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
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
Six Flags is parent company to Carowinds, the 400-acre amusement park that straddles the border between the Carolinas.
—Charlotte Observer, 22 Oct. 2025
Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
Over woozy beats that straddle Def Jux, Dilla, and grime, Brown lays everything on the line, rattling off wackadoo pop culture references and bleak tales at a mile a minute, his signature squawk exuberant, desperate, and sometimes dialed down to a bitter growl.
—Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straddle
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Verb
The only answers in the cards regard what happened to Dinah’s house (and why), which are satisfying enough, if still tightly straddling the lines between affecting and cruel, sensible and conspiratorial.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
Six Flags is parent company to Carowinds, the 400-acre amusement park that straddles the border between the Carolinas.
—Charlotte Observer, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
Trees whose trunks straddle property lines are considered shared, requiring consent from both owners for removal.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
Over woozy beats that straddle Def Jux, Dilla, and grime, Brown lays everything on the line, rattling off wackadoo pop culture references and bleak tales at a mile a minute, his signature squawk exuberant, desperate, and sometimes dialed down to a bitter growl.
—Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straddle
Cite this Entry
“Straddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straddle. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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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