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astride

[uh-strahyd]
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preposition
  1. with a leg on each side of; straddling: She sat astride the horse.
  2. on both sides of: Budapest lies astride the river.
  3. in a dominant position within: Napoleon stands astride the early 19th century like a giant.
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adverb, adjective
  1. in a posture of striding or straddling; with legs apart or on either side of something.
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Origin of astride

First recorded in 1655–65; a-1 + stride
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for astride

astraddle, athwart, piggyback

Examples from the Web for astride

Contemporary Examples of astride

Historical Examples of astride

  • I got astride of the buttress, and painfully forced my way up.

    Wilfrid Cumbermede

    George MacDonald

  • For all the world she would not have liked them to catch him astride the coping of the wall.

  • "Bring that there bench up, missy, and we'll put him astride it," said the driver.

    A Son of Hagar

    Sir Hall Caine

  • From the window of my room I saw the doctor get astride his mule.

    The Strolling Saint

    Raphael Sabatini

  • A captain, astride of a great reeking horse, towered above them.

    The Long Roll

    Mary Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for astride

astride

adjective (postpositive)
  1. with a leg on either side
  2. with the legs far apart
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preposition
  1. with a leg on either side of
  2. with a part on both sides of
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for astride

adv.

1660s, from a- (1) "on" + stride (n.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper