STRADDLES Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

straddles

verb

present tense third-person singular of straddle

as in perches

to be in or move into a seated or standing position with your legs on either side of (something) She straddled the horse and waited for her riding partner to mount.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

as in spans

to be on both sides of (something) The town straddles the river. The movie straddles the line between comedy and drama.

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

as in shakes

to agree with or seem to agree with two opposite sides of (something) The politician straddled the issue for weeks.

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of straddles The martini, like no other cocktail, straddles the line between timelessness and trendiness. — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 2 Sep. 2026 The body of water, which straddles the US-Canada border, gave its name to the Canadian province rather than the other way around. — ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026 This will be good for no one, especially the auto industry that straddles both countries. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026 Parton played herself in the 2005 follow-up to 2000’s Miss Congeniality, which featured a scene where Bullock’s character, FBI agent Gracie Hart, tackles and straddles the country music legend—mistaking her for a Vegas impersonator. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Aug. 2026 And as a guy in power armor, Iron Man straddles the line of being a mecha, but his Marvel Tokon design spotlights Gundam and Tekkaman influences. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026 The brand is the latest in the Iris portfolio that straddles health and aesthetics. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 31 July 2026 The discovery, published July 22 in the journal Nature, centers on brown bullhead catfish living in Lake Memphremagog, which straddles the Vermont-Quebec border. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 28 July 2026 Her approach often straddles a line that others have not been able to successfully navigate, one GOP strategist said. — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 27 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddles

Verb

Head to Stoos, which perches on a plateau at the base of the Fronalpstock in central Switzerland.

— Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
Live streams from entertainment events like the Grammys or Golden Globes aren’t typically perches for controversy, but, says Anthony McCartney, AP’s entertainment and lifestyles editor, celebrities will sometimes be asked to weigh in on recent headlines.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026

Definition of perches

Verb

The company, founded in 1995, has grown through a combination of scale and acquisitions, building an operation that spans much of the food supply chain.

— Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Their range spans northern Mexico to southern Canada, but northern Arizona is a hotspot — the bats have taken to roosting on the walls of the Grand Canyon.

— Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of spans

Verb

Motorsport meets nuclear engineering Power conversion sits between the reactor and the electrical grid.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
In the next scene, Musk sits at a roundtable with his army of early 20s DOGE staffers, looking on proudly alongside Fox News’ Jesse Watters.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of sits

Verb

In the video, the subject ducks his head in the opposite direction of the doorbell camera.

— Michael Ruiz , Adam Sabes , Christina Dugan Ramirez , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Julia Bonavita , Peter D'Abrosca , Alexandra Koch , Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
The sun ducks down and sets Conejo Mountain against warm pinks and purples, transforming the ridgeline into an epic silhouette.

— Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025

Definition of ducks

Verb

The area sprawls across six English counties including Gloucestershire, where King Charles III and Queen Camilla often spend time at Highgrove, their private country residence.

— Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Great Basin National Park Great Basin’s beauty sprawls across 77,000 acres, with sky-high peaks, limestone caves, tranquil lakes, and groves of ancient Bristlecone pines, some of which are among the oldest trees on Earth.

— Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026