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View synonyms for

straddle

[strad-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.



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

/ ˈٰæə /

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

“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

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

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • straddler noun
  • straddlingly adverb
  • unstraddled adjective
  • ˈٰ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of straddle1

1555–65; apparently frequentative (with -le ) of variant stem of stride
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Word History and Origins

Origin of straddle1

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

It was struck at a time when pagan beliefs were starting to give way to Christianity, and its design appears to straddle this time of change.

From

Charlotte is always tightly seamed and belted, while Lisa, a filmmaker, wears bright colors and straddles the line between adventurous pop art flair and polished affluence.

From

They straddle the line between indulgence and wellness, pleasure and penance.

From

To her, the way you “stand out as any performer is straddling that line of allowing the collective experience to inhabit you while bringing your voice forward enough to bring that own specificity,” Rao said.

From

For Boneta, who grew up bilingual — the son of a Mexican father and an American-born mother — straddling the nuances of both cultures and languages came naturally.

From

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Stracheystraddle the fence