straddle
Syllables: strad·dle/ˈstɹædəl/
straddle verb: to sit or stand with a leg on each side of something; to sit astride.
Verb
straddle (third-person singular simple present straddles, present participle straddling, simple past and past participle straddled)
- To sit or stand with a leg on each side of something; to sit astride.
- But guess my surprise, when I saw the lazy young rogue lie down on his back, and gently pull down Polly upon him, who giving way to his humour, straddled, and with her hands conducted her blind favourite to the right place1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC
- As they approached the entrance of the port, the giant straddled clear across it, with a foot firmly planted on each headland,1853, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Minotaur
- Synonyms:
- stride
- To be on both sides of something; to have parts that are in different places, regions, etc.
- The mountain-ringed Yukon Flats basin straddles the Arctic Circle and is bisected by the Yukon River.1978, Jimmy Carter, Proclamation 4627
- Those in our movement who are Black and must straddle two movements, fighting the racism of the gay community along with the heterosexism in white institutions and in communities of color.1985 February 9, “Black History Month”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 29, page 4
- To consider or favor two apparently opposite sides; to be noncommittal.
- Wanting to please both sides, he straddled the issue.
- To form a disorderly sprawl; to spread out irregularly.
- This weed straddles the entire garden.
- Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks
- To fire successive artillery shots in front of and behind of a target, especially in order to determine its range (the term "bracket" is often used instead).
- To place a voluntary raise prior to receiving cards (only by the first player after the blinds).
- To stand with the ends staggered; said of the spokes of a wagon wheel where they join the hub.
- To execute a commodities market spread.
Noun
straddle (plural straddles)
- A posture in which one straddles something.
- A pair or salvo of successive artillery shots falling both in front of and behind a target.
- The first salvo fell short; the next was long; the third was a straddle.
- An investment strategy involving simultaneous trade with put and call options on the same security at the same strike price, giving a non-directional position sensitive to volatility.
- A voluntary raise made prior to receiving cards by the first player after the blinds.
- A vertical mine-timber supporting a set.
- A part of a harness placed on the back of a beast of burden (such as a horse or donkey) to carry the weight of a load.
Adverb
straddle (not comparable)
straddle meaning in Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam and Kannada
straddle in Hindi
- to sit or stand with a leg on each side of something
- पैर फैलाकर बैठना pair phailākar baiṭhnā, दोनों ओर टाँगें करके बैठना donõ or ṭāṅgẽ karke baiṭhnā, बताने के लिये अनिच्छुक होना batāne ke liye anicchuk honā
straddle in Urdu
- ٹانگیں پھیلانا
straddle in Malayalam
- sit astride, stand astride, bestride
- കാലുകൾ കവച്ചുവയ്ക്കുക, കവച്ചുവച്ച് ഇരിക്കുക, കാലുകവച്ചുനിൽക്കുക, ഏറുകാലു ചവിട്ടിനിൽക്കുക, കാൽകവച്ചുവച്ചു നടക്കുക, കവയ്ക്കുക
- lie on both sides of, extend across, span
- ഇരുവശത്തുമായി വ്യാപിച്ചു കിടക്കുക, നീണ്ടുകിടക്കുക, നീണ്ടുപരന്നു വ്യാപിച്ചു കിടക്കുക
- be equivocal about, be undecided about, equivocate about
- സന്ദിഗ്മായിരിക്കുക, നിശ്ചയിക്കാനാവാതിരിക്കുക, തീർപ്പു കല്പിക്കാനാവാതിരിക്കുക, സന്ദിഗ്ദ്ധാർത്ഥമായിരിക്കുക, ചാഞ്ചാടുക, ചഞ്ചലചിത്തനായിരിക്കുക
straddle in Kannada
- ಕಿಸಿಗಾಲು ಹಾಕು, ಕಾಲುಗಳನ್ನು ಅಗಲಿಸು, ಕಾಲುಕಿಸಿ, ಬಗಟು
More languagesFewer languages
- straddle in Arabic
- اِمْتَطَى imtaṭā
Examples of straddle in a sentence
- Numbskull!' he shouted, straddling her midriff and pummelling her face and chest with his fists.
- The sublime volcanic lake of Tianchi straddles the border with North Korea.
- One look at the samakonasana aka straddle split and you know it's not for the faint-hearted.
Synonyms of straddle
Forms of straddle
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| third-person singular present | straddles |
| present participle | straddling |
| past participle | straddled |
| past | straddled |
| Noun | |
| plural | straddles |
Origin of straddle
As a verb, attested since the 1560s. Most likely, an alteration of dialectal striddle. The noun is first attested in the 1610s.
Words formed from straddle
Phrases with straddle
Words that rhyme with straddle
Questions about straddle
- What does straddle mean?
- Straddle means to sit or stand with a leg on each side of something; to sit astride.
- What is straddle in Hindi?
- Straddle in Hindi is पैर फैलाकर बैठना (pair phailākar baiṭhnā), दोनों ओर टाँगें करके बैठना (donõ or ṭāṅgẽ karke baiṭhnā), बताने के लिये अनिच्छुक होना (batāne ke liye anicchuk honā). See Straddle meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is straddle?
- Straddle can be a verb, a noun or an adverb.
- How do you pronounce straddle?
- Straddle is pronounced /ˈstɹædəl/.
- What is the past tense of straddle?
- The past tense of straddle is straddled.
Words near straddle in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: straddle (page history and authors); straddle (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); straddle (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); straddle (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-straddle.wav.
Cite this entry: “straddle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/straddle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.