1
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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Dissimilar Words
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of straddle
This climate fiction time travel adventure straddles three timelines.
—
Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
The bighorn herd that straddles the frontier will be severed.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
But visiting leaders still must straddle a fine balance when dealing with China.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
And being Basque seems to help — as well as the aforementioned duo, the likes of Unai Emery and Andoni Iraola come from that region straddling the Spanish/French border.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for straddle
Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
The bighorn herd that straddles the frontier will be severed.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
But visiting leaders still must straddle a fine balance when dealing with China.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
And being Basque seems to help — as well as the aforementioned duo, the likes of Unai Emery and Andoni Iraola come from that region straddling the Spanish/French border.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for straddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddle
Verb
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Her disappearance sparked a large search effort in the Catalina Foothills community, perched north of Tucson, and a criminal investigation by the Pima County Sheriff's Department and FBI.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
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At the center of the action was a sunglasses-wearing Jay-Z, who was perched on the backrest of a plush sofa while enjoying a performance by rapper Don Toliver, mouthing along the lyrics to his hit No Pole.—
Paul Chi,
Vogue,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Step over a moat-spanning drawbridge and through a stone entry gate and you will be transported into a medieval fantasy, with secret rooms, trick mirrors, a full-size musk ox (don’t worry, it’s stuffed) and, of course, dragons.—
Mark Lamster
Architecture Critic,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
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Bad Bunny’s role in the Super Bowl also underscores Zara’s growing cultural reach in the US, a key market for the group, where the artist’s influence spans Latino and non-Latino consumers alike.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In recent editions, the rosters were drafted by James, Durant and Antetokounmpo in an attempt to shake things up.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2026
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Jothan saw us and shook our hands, as did Michael Ray, but Sun Ra scuffled by with an air of depthless blankness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Hornets fell to 25-29, which sits them 10th in the conference.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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The remains of a brothel sit opposite the library, and a nearby carving on a paving stone on Curetes Street is believed to be one of the world’s earliest advertisements.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the middle of this spectrum, a trio of mid-career stylistic chameleons and sometime collaborators — Feid, J Balvin, and Bad Bunny — carefully map out intersecting tastes.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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As far as documentaries on celebrities and luminaries go, Melania avoids major revelations, instead favoring a glimpse of a brief moment in time and lightly touching on the issues that intersect with her present role.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Photo provided Additional video shows witness Kenyatta Squires ducking into a corner deli moments before the van barrels onto the sidewalk toward two pedestrians standing outside a business.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
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But after ducking the tax — the first step toward eventually resetting their heavy repeater penalties — the Celtics surely won’t want to jump right back into it.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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We are accustomed to billionaires who bestride the landscape with the imperial arrogance of Roman emperors.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
14 Dec. 2025
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Sovereignty, the Triple Crown Class of 2025’s Derby and Belmont victor and Saratoga-man-of-the-minute, bestrides the ultra-short Travers Stakes field of five as an undisputed equine colossus.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The doc was made over six years and comprised footage shot by Nico Ballesteros, to whom Ye gave seemingly complete access, letting the young stranger film him for more than half a decade.—
Anna Peele,
Vanity Fair,
6 Feb. 2026
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But the Dow comprises only 30 companies, weighted by share prices, so a sharp change in an expensive stock can exert strong pressure on the average.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddle. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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