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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

straddle.

To sit or stand with a leg on each side of something; to sit astride.

8 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ˈstɹædəl/[ˈstɹ̝̊ʷædəl] ~ [ˈstɹ̝̊ʷædl̩][ˈst̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷædəl] ~ [ˈst̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷædl̩]/ˈstɹæɾəl/
  1. To sit or stand with a leg on each side of something; to sit astride.

    transitive
  2. To be on both sides of something; to have parts that are in different places, regions, etc.

    transitive
  3. To consider or favor two apparently opposite sides; to be noncommittal.

    transitive
    Wanting to please both sides, he straddled the issue.
  4. To form a disorderly sprawl; to spread out irregularly.

    transitive
    This weed straddles the entire garden.
    Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks
  5. 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).

  6. To place a voluntary raise prior to receiving cards (only by the first player after the blinds).

  7. To stand with the ends staggered; said of the spokes of a wagon wheel where they join the hub.

    intransitive
  8. To execute a commodities market spread.

Where this word comes from

As a verb, attested since the 1560s. Most likely, an alteration of dialectal striddle. The noun is first attested in the 1610s.

noun/ˈstɹædəl/[ˈstɹ̝̊ʷædəl] ~ [ˈstɹ̝̊ʷædl̩][ˈst̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷædəl] ~ [ˈst̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷædl̩]/ˈstɹæɾəl/
  1. A posture in which one straddles something.

  2. 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.
  3. 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.

  4. A voluntary raise made prior to receiving cards by the first player after the blinds.

  5. A vertical mine-timber supporting a set.

  6. 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.

Where this word comes from

As a verb, attested since the 1560s. Most likely, an alteration of dialectal striddle. The noun is first attested in the 1610s.

adv/ˈstɹædəl/[ˈstɹ̝̊ʷædəl] ~ [ˈstɹ̝̊ʷædl̩][ˈst̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷædəl] ~ [ˈst̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷædl̩]/ˈstɹæɾəl/
  1. Astride.

    not-comparable
Where this word comes from

As a verb, attested since the 1560s. Most likely, an alteration of dialectal striddle. The noun is first attested in the 1610s.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.