straddling 1 of 2

noun

Definition of straddlingnext
as in fence-sitting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

straddling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of straddle
1
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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spanning
to be on both sides of (something) The town straddles the river. The movie straddles the line between comedy and drama.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shaking
to agree with or seem to agree with two opposite sides of (something) The politician straddled the issue for weeks.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straddling
  1. fence-sitting
  2. shaking
  3. tolerance
  4. sitting
  5. indifference
  6. sprawling
Noun
  • The outcome of this exceptionally tight presidential race may turn on whether Harris, in these final days of the campaign, can convince enough fence-sitting voters to embrace that message.
    David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024
  • After the meeting, three delegates who had been fence-sitting for months sought me out for the secret handshake.
    Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 17 Sep. 2024
Definition of fence-sitting
Verb
  • Let the potatoes and garlic stand in the pot for 1 minute, shaking the pan occasionally, until the liquid evaporates.
    Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 4 Oct. 2024
  • That makes these companies almost impossible to change without industry-shaking upheaval.
    Nilay Patel, The Verge, 3 Oct. 2024
Definition of shaking
Noun
  • But saying that, people also seem to have a lot less tolerance for talking to people who are bad actors or are trying to spread this information.
    Leah Feiger, WIRED, 21 Nov. 2024
  • Individual responses to fentanyl can vary based on the person’s tolerance to the drug, as well as physical and genetic characteristics.
    Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Definition of tolerance
Verb
  • Several passengers intervened on an American Airlines flight this week when a man allegedly attacked a woman sitting next to him, video taken by another passenger appeared to show.
    Brie Stimson, Fox News, 5 Oct. 2024
  • Pictures of President Calvin Coolidge and first lady Grace Coolidge show them being sworn in as meeting the criteria for Massachusetts absentee voting in 1924 and sitting at a small wooden table picturesquely placed on the White House South Lawn.
    Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024
Definition of sitting
Noun
  • Despite some indifference, or outright rejection of silver, Honda and Stuart Semple’s take on the idea of a silver car creates something completely different.
    Trinity Francis, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
  • When the average person hears that a Democratic group has sued Republicans – or vice versa – the most likely reaction is indifference.
    Alan Wooten | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Oct. 2024
Definition of indifference
Verb
  • There’s also a set of steps leading down to a sprawling grassy lawn that’s ideal for Bocce ball and other leisurely pursuits.
    Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2024
  • Given the sprawling regulations dealing with works of art, new developments in art law are complex matters even for the most sophisticated specialists.
    Patricia Failing, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2024
Definition of sprawling
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near straddling

straddle the fence

straddling

straddling the fence

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Straddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straddling. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on straddling

Nglish: Translation of straddling for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of straddling for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...