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

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Etymology

Origin of straddle

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

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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

If England want another player who can straddle the No. 9 and No. 10 positions simultaneously, then Bellingham could be their best fit.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

A tunnel links the SpaceX and Boring properties, which straddle a public road.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

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 think that the real success in our business over the next 10 years will be the ability to straddle both of these worlds,” said Pepper, who helped develop Mason’s series.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

The scholarship boy does not straddle, cannot reconcile, the two great opposing cultures of his life.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

The tower is to fill the West Hollywood portion of the former Cemex Hollywood Concrete Plant site, which straddles the city border with Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

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

For the stocks listed in this table, that would mean buying the straddles expiring on Aug. 21, or the next nearest date if that expiration date doesn’t exist for a particular stock.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 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

Working quickly, he straddles Lincoln’s chest and begins resuscitating the president, hoping to improve the flow of oxygen to his brain.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

His rhythm arrangements wisely straddled romantic soul and dance to maximize radio and club attention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 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

Their current run of 11 straight wins matches a streak put together by England that straddled 2000 and 2001.

From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2025

The other one, Pacific Ocean Park, straddled the sand of Santa Monica and Venice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2025

The younger Halley, however, straddled the transition and produced some of his best work in the new century, after the Newtonian revolution.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

In fact, some of America’s long-standing allies have already started straddling.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026

It will make Centalion a major player in the Haynesville basin, a prolific gas patch straddling Texas and Louisiana.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

There’s a fine line between lucky and cursed, however, and Pulisic is straddling it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 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

I've rolled sideways off the fork and I'm facing the ground, held in place by the belt, one hand, and my feet straddling the pack inside my sleeping bag, braced against the trunk.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

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