To straddle something means to sit or stand with one leg on each side of it. When you straddle a bicycle seat, your left leg is on the left side and your right leg is on the right. A gymnast might straddle the balance beam, sitting with legs dangling on either side. Cowboys straddle their horses, and kids playing around might straddle a fence rail.

The word also describes being positioned between two different things or choices. A town that straddles the state border sits partly in one state and partly in another. When someone straddles two different opinions in an argument, they're trying to agree with both sides without fully committing to either one. A student who straddles childhood and adolescence is caught between being a little kid and becoming a teenager.

In sports, a straddle jump is a technique where an athlete spreads their legs wide to clear a high bar. The position requires balance and flexibility, which captures the essence of straddling: maintaining your position while something is right underneath you or while you're suspended between two points.