straddle

[ strad-l ]

/ ˈstræd l /

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See synonyms for: straddle / straddling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), strad·dled, strad·dling.

to walk, stand, or sit with the legs wide apart; stand or sit astride.

to stand wide apart, as the legs.

to favor or appear to favor both sides of an issue, political division, or the like, at once; maintain an equivocal position.

verb (used with object), strad·dled, strad·dling.

to walk, stand, or sit with one leg on each side of; stand or sit astride of: to straddle a horse.

to spread (the legs) wide apart.

to favor or appear to favor both sides of (an issue, political division, etc.).

noun

an act or instance of straddling.

the distance straddled over.

the taking of a noncommittal position.

Finance.

an option consisting of a put and a call combined, both at the same current market price and for the same specified period.
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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of straddle

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

OTHER WORDS FROM straddle

straddler, nounstrad·dling·ly, adverbun·strad·dled, adjective

Words nearby straddle

Strabane, strabismus, Strabo, strabotomy, Strachey, straddle, straddle the fence, straddle truck, Stradella, Stradivari, Stradivarius

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use straddle in a sentence

This precarious straddle renders them — and the brain itself — vulnerable to infections.
The way the coronavirus messes with smell hints at how it affects the brain|Laura Sanders|June 12, 2020|Science News
Such carefully designed prescription drugs delicately straddle the line between function and sacrifice.
Miley, Molly, and Your Teen’s Mind|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That ability to straddle two sides of an acrimonious divide has served Leavell well—not only in politics, but also in music.
Stones’ Keyboard Man Is Ardent Forester|David A. Graham|June 16, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Spend some time with Fiasco and you can watch him straddle that line all day long.
Lupe Fiasco's Revenge|Seth Colter Walls|March 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST

They're mostly girls who straddle the line between geeky and bad-ass, a look familiar to most of today's high-school students.
My $16 Videogame Striptease|Brian Ries|October 14, 2010|DAILY BEAST
In an Internet video announcing his candidacy, Brown attempted this straddle without mentioning Schwarzenegger by name.
Arnold's Third Term|Joe Mathews|March 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
And I would steal her dolls, pull their dresses for shame over their heads, and set them straddle the banisters.
Tramping on Life|Harry Kemp
So they dispatched the tortoise to the earth again, the monkey sitting a-straddle of his back.
Japanese Fairy World|William Elliot Griffis
The ridge grew narrower, sheerer, and in places they had to straddle it, legs dangling precariously to left and right.
Astounding Stories, July, 1931|Various
Beside the road we saw a plow-boy straddle, whistling on a stile.
The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. X (of X) - America - II, Index|Various
The "Hecla" was a-straddle of the well, and rows of men were tossing at her brake-beams.
The Skipper and the Skipped|Holman Day

British Dictionary definitions for straddle

straddle

/ (ˈstrædəl) /

verb

(tr) to have one leg, part, or support on each side of

(tr) US and Canadian informal to be in favour of both sides of (something)

(intr) to stand, walk, or sit with the legs apart

(tr) to spread (the legs) apart

military to fire a number of shots slightly beyond and slightly short of (a target) to determine the correct range

(intr) (in poker, of the second player after the dealer) to double the ante before looking at one's cards

noun

the act or position of straddling

a noncommittal attitude or stand

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 optionCompare spread (def. 24c)

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

(in poker) the stake put up after the ante in poker by the second player after the dealer

Irish a wooden frame placed on a horse's back to which panniers are attached

Derived forms of straddle

straddler, noun

Word Origin for straddle

C16: frequentative formed from obsolete strad- (Old English strode), past stem of stride

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

straddle

Origin of straddle

OTHER WORDS FROM straddle

Words nearby straddle

Words related to straddle

How to use straddle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for straddle

Derived forms of straddle

Word Origin for straddle