straddle

American  

[strad-l] / ˈstræd l /

verb (used without object)

• straddles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• straddled,
  past participle,  past
• straddling
  present participle

1. to walk, stand, or sit with the legs wide apart; stand or sit astride.

2. to stand wide apart, as the legs.

3. to favor or appear to favor both sides of an issue, political division, or the like, at once; maintain an equivocal position.

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verb (used with object)

• straddles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• straddled,
  past participle,  past
• straddling
  present participle

1. to walk, stand, or sit with one leg on each side of; stand or sit astride of.

   to straddle a horse.

2. to spread (the legs) wide apart.

3. to favor or appear to favor both sides of (an issue, political division, etc.).

noun

1. an act or instance of straddling.

2. the distance straddled over.

3. the taking of a noncommittal position.

4. Finance.

   1. an option consisting of a put and a call combined, both at the same current market price and for the same specified period.

   2. a similar transaction in securities or futures in which options to buy and sell the same security or commodity are purchased simultaneously in order to hedge one's risk.

straddle British  

/ ˈstrædəl /

verb

1. (tr) to have one leg, part, or support on each side of

2. informal (tr) to be in favour of both sides of (something)

3. (intr) to stand, walk, or sit with the legs apart

4. (tr) to spread (the legs) apart

5. military to fire a number of shots slightly beyond and slightly short of (a target) to determine the correct range

6. (intr) (in poker, of the second player after the dealer) to double the ante before looking at one's cards

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noun

1. the act or position of straddling

2. a noncommittal attitude or stand

3. commerce a contract or option permitting its purchaser to either sell or buy securities or commodities within a specified period of time at specified prices. It is a combination of a put and a call option Compare spread

4. athletics a high-jumping technique in which the body is parallel with the bar and the legs straddle it at the highest point of the jump

5. (in poker) the stake put up after the ante in poker by the second player after the dealer

6. a wooden frame placed on a horse's back to which panniers are attached

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• straddler
  noun
• unstraddled
  adjective
• straddlingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• straddling
  present
• straddled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• straddle
  simple
• straddles
  simple
• have straddled
  perfect
• has straddled
  perfect
• am straddling
  progressive
• are straddling
  progressive
• is straddling
  progressive
• have been straddling
  perfect progressive
• has been straddling
  perfect progressive

Past

• straddled
  simple
• had straddled
  perfect
• was straddling
  progressive
• were straddling
  progressive
• had been straddling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will straddle
  simple
• will have straddled
  perfect
• will be straddling
  progressive
• will have been straddling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of straddle

1555–65; apparently frequentative (with -le ) of variant stem of stride

Explanation

When you straddle something, you're sitting on it with one leg on each side — like straddling a horse or a fence. Unless you're using an old-fashioned side-saddle, you straddle a horse when you ride it. Gymnasts learn how to straddle the parallel bars, basically doing the splits on them. But if someone says you're "straddling the fence," it means you're doing a different kind of split: you're not taking a side and refusing to commit. In finance, straddling means you want to leave your options open to buy or sell.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

straddle straddles straddled straddling

Ontario is the smallest by surface area of the five Great Lakes, which straddle the Canada-US border between Ontario province and the US state of New York.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

I had pulled over on the road in Pebble Beach to check an address when my left foot slid out from under me and the bike fell heavily under my graceless straddle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Lake Ontario is the smallest by surface area of the five Great Lakes, which straddle the border between the United States and Canada.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

KAWS’ body of work spans more than 25 years and includes painting, sculpture and design that straddle fine art and global culture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

I swing my leg around to straddle the horse.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi

Available starting at 8 p.m., the menu begins with a pillowy confection that straddles the line between sweet and savory: a Japanese milk-bread sandwich layered with duck liver, raspberry, blackberry and whipped cream.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

The lab sat on an acre of land in a forest that straddles the border of Abidagba and Iroto villages.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

The park and its surrounds are known as the Amboseli ecosystem, a vast area that straddles the border with Tanzania, which is famous for its wildlife.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

For the stocks in this table, that would mean buying the straddles expiring on Aug. 2, or the next nearest date if that expiration date not exist for a particular stock.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Mount Elgon straddles the border between Uganda and Kenya, and is not far from Sudan.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

At Politico, his responsibilities have straddled both editorial and business development, including expanding Politico’s brand presence and journalism at global conferences on security and energy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

As Neil Simpson straddled a gate at the start of his slalom run on Sunday, it perhaps summed up just how tricky these Winter Paralympics have been for Great Britain.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026

The defending Olympic champion duly followed team orders to attack, but it didn't last long as he straddled a gate high up the course.

From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026

A year after the fire, my mind whirls between nostalgia and today’s reality, where I’ve straddled the roles of reporter and heartbroken Altadenan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2026

One of the spokes rose a few feet above the water, and we straddled it.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin

Schuyler emerges as a born leader and wily diplomat with a rare gift for straddling different cultures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in 2023 ordered a 43-metre-tall golden statue of himself straddling an Akhal-Teke in a pose reminiscent of Napoleon Bonaparte.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

There are several factors driving the staggering heat, including a unyielding ridge of high pressure straddling Southern California and weaker-than-normal coastal winds, which typically drive upwelling along the coast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

Until 2021, players were honoured for performances over a calendar year, straddling two different seasons.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026

My grandmother found me screaming in agony, still straddling the cabinet door with my feet not reaching the ground.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi