straddle

[ strad-l ]

/ ˈstræd l /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR straddle 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.

Nearby words

Origin of straddle

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

Related formsstrad·dler, nounstrad·dling·ly, adverbun·strad·dled, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for straddle

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

I'le make him think he's got straddle his wooly hoss, and an army of mermades was after him with red hot pitchforks.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 22, August 27, 1870|Various
No. 2 then has the same option, and may, if he wish, increase the straddle by one penny.
Round Games with Cards|W. H. Peel
With an exclamation she tossed her book to the desk, where it sprawled at a straddle, and hurried to the rail.
Flappers and Philosophers|F. Scott Fitzgerald
He must straddle the mouth of the valley like the fat colossus he was.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland
Dey wouldn' be caught wearin' britches an' ridin' straddle like de womens do dese days.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States|Various

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 Formsstraddler, 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

Word Origin and History for straddle

straddle

1560s, probably an alteration of stridlen, frequentative of striden (see stride). U.S. colloquial sense of "take up an equivocal position, appear to favor both sides" is attested from 1838. Related: Straddled; straddling. The noun is first recorded 1610s.

straddle

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

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

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of straddle

Examples from the Web for straddle

straddle

verb

noun

Word Origin for straddle

straddle