straddle C2 Topic:Verbs of Movement US /ˈstɹædəl/ UK /ˈstrædəl/ See IPA manual Freq #45853 Meanings 1 verb to sit or stand with one leg on each side of something She had to straddle the fallen trunk to cross the stream. 2 verb to extend across both sides of a boundary or combine two different areas or categories The new district will straddle the river and include neighborhoods on both banks. 3 noun a position in which the legs are spread to either side The gymnast landed in a controlled straddle on the mat. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to sit or stand with one... sit astridestand astridebestride 2 verb · to extend across both sides... spanbridgecross 3 noun · a position in which the... astride positionsplit stance Word family Forms straddling Derived forms astraddlebestraddlestraddlerstraddlewiseunstraddle Related forms astridebestridestridespan Etymology Attested as a verb from the sixteenth century, probably as an alteration of dialectal striddle, 'stand or move with the legs apart.' The noun followed in the early seventeenth century. Topics Verbs of Movement External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # straddle **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** verb, noun **IPA (US):** /ˈstɹædəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈstrædəl/ **Frequency rank:** 45853 ## Meanings 1. to sit or stand with one leg on each side of something 2. to extend across both sides of a boundary or combine two different areas or categories 3. a position in which the legs are spread to either side ## Examples - She had to straddle the fallen trunk to cross the stream. - The new district will straddle the river and include neighborhoods on both banks. - The gymnast landed in a controlled straddle on the mat. ## Synonyms - bestride - span - bridge - cross ## Derived Forms - astraddle - bestraddle - straddler - straddlewise - unstraddle ## Related Forms - astride - bestride - stride - span ## Etymology Attested as a verb from the sixteenth century, probably as an alteration of dialectal striddle, 'stand or move with the legs apart.' The noun followed in the early seventeenth century. ## Topics - Verbs of Movement markdown