astride

American  

[uh-strahyd] / əˈstraɪd /

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

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

astride British  

/ əˈstraɪd /

adjective

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

Etymology

Origin of astride

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

Example Sentences

It is indeed a wonderful sensation to see such an individual, who, concentrated here at a single point, astride a horse, reaches out over the world and masters it.

From Salon

Moments later—and, as you can imagine, we had no arguments from Karli about this—we were lifting him up, and sitting him there astride Marlene’s neck.

From Literature

Normal foreign policy considerations regarding conflict with a country of 90 million people situated astride the world’s oil jugular do not come into play.

From Salon

It’s like teaching a course on “Space Exploration” the day after Neil Armstrong bopped astride the surface of the moon.

From Salon

KLAIPEDA, Lithuania—Germany’s top military officer, Gen. Carsten Breuer, stood astride a map of Lithuania laid out on the floor of a makeshift command post in this port city on the Baltic Sea.

From The Wall Street Journal