astride

[uh-strahyd]

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preposition

with a leg on each side of; straddling: She sat astride the horse.

on both sides of: Budapest lies astride the river.

in a dominant position within: Napoleon stands astride the early 19th century like a giant.

adverb, adjective

in a posture of striding or straddling; with legs apart or on either side of something.

Origin of astride

First recorded in 1655–65; a-¹ + stride

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for astride

astraddle, athwart, piggyback

Examples from the Web for astride

Contemporary Examples of astride

Director Ridley Scott, however, must have found the image of Cameron Diaz astride a gleaming sports car too good not to show.
The Best Scenes From Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Counselor’ Screenplay
Thomas Flynn
October 27, 2013
Still worse to imagine that we'd be doing all this while rolling around town on a Schwinn, rather than astride our majestic steed.
Where are the Bicycles in Post-Apocalyptic Fiction?
Megan McArdle
January 28, 2013

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.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola
"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)

with a leg on either side

with the legs far apart

preposition

with a leg on either side of

with a part on both sides of

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.).