STRADDLING Synonyms: 155 Similar and Opposite Words

straddling 1 of 2

noun

as in fence-sitting

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straddling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of straddle

as in perching

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.

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Dissimilar Words

as in spanning

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

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Dissimilar Words

as in shaking

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

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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 straddling

Verb

This town sits in the Central Idaho Rockies, straddling national forests in the Wood River Valley. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Back on ground level, The Patio is a more relaxed bar straddling the entrance of the restaurant. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026 An example is the rare Enantio, from the mountainous region straddling Veneto and Trentino. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2026 In the world of traffic oddities, one car straddling a bike path median — like a gymnast poised on a balance beam — could be called a fluke. — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026 Mythical creatures, too, soaked in the supernatural; half-men, half-animals who evaded classification—centaurs and satyrs, fauns and werewolves—straddling the boundary between man and beast. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026 It’s situated in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness north of Yellowstone National Park straddling the Montana-Wyoming border. — Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 29 July 2026 At her white adoptive family’s estate, Thina (26), a Black surgeon straddling two worlds, prepares for her wedding with a woke Black fiancé and her white adoptive sister – her best friend. — John Hopewell, Variety, 14 July 2026 Since graduating from the YA fantasy series, Pattinson has become one of our most interesting actors, straddling the space between indie and mainstream filmmaking. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddling

Noun

Keeping four quarterbacks could be seen as another fence-sitting move.

— Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Lower mortgage rates will spur some fence-sitting buyers into action and increase sales volumes over last year.

— Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026

Definition of fence-sitting

Verb

The Ice Dart belongs to a broader push in robotics called perching, an approach borrowed from nature that tries to give drones the ability to grab onto surfaces the way birds, insects, and geckos do.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2026
On the heels of the death of his longtime mate Jackie, bald eagle Shadow has been perching, singing and lounging at his Big Bear nest with a new companion.

— Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of perching

Verb

The development reflects Galileo’s broader focus on embodied intelligence, with the company maintaining in-house capabilities spanning robot platforms, core components, motion control, and systems engineering.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
According to court records, DeFoor has a history of mental health issues in Hamilton County spanning more than two years.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of spanning

Verb

That afternoon, the president, inside the exposition’s ornate Temple of Music, greeted members of the public, shaking hands and warmly inviting them to explore the fair.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
The handcuffs were taken off, and he was allowed to board, shaking with shock.

— Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of shaking

Noun

Flit can mill ultra-precise, nested male-to-female sleeve joints required for adhesive bonding with a 1mm tolerance.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2026
As part of the aforementioned slow approach, twice a week is a good starting point for retinol usage, building up as the skin’s tolerance increases.

— Ellie Davis, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of tolerance

Verb

Amid a scorching stretch, Bregman ends the month with his lifetime total now sitting at two.

— Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
While sitting next to her at Sant Ambroeus in New York, Twine is as light and calm as ever, despite experiencing such pivotal life accomplishments in such quick succession.

— Kiana Murden, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of sitting

Verb

The style features dazzling dainty straps intersecting across the toes and an ankle strap adorned with lemon and leaf ornaments.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026
That innovation is also intersecting with the growth of artificial intelligence capabilities, according to Hendrik Venter, CEO of DHL Supply Chain.

— Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 25 July 2026