straddle

American  

[strad-l] / ˈstræd l /

verb (used without object)

straddled, straddling

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)

straddled, straddling

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

• straddler noun
• straddlingly adverb
• unstraddled adjective

Etymology

Origin of straddle

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

Example Sentences

Try to buy an at-the-money straddle for 10.25% of the stock price or less.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

“Events are in the saddle,” said Whipple, whose two most recent books document Biden’s struggles to straddle foreign and domestic affairs.

From Slate • Mar. 10, 2026

Canada’s count, at more than 250,000, doesn’t fully capture dual citizenship, or the flow of Americans whose daily lives straddle the border.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

“I’m an essentially pretty private person, and it’s a tough line you have to straddle with the press. I definitely learned a lesson.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

My legs weren’t long enough to straddle the horse firmly, so I eventually lay on my stomach with my limbs dangling.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri