saddle

1 of 2

noun

sad·​dle ˈsa-dᵊl How to pronounce saddle (audio)
often attributive
1
a(1)
: a girthed usually padded and leather-covered seat for the rider of an animal (such as a horse)
(2)
: a part of a driving harness comparable to a saddle that is used to keep the breeching in place
b
: a seat to be straddled by the rider of a vehicle (such as a bicycle)
2
: a device mounted as a support and often shaped to fit the object held
3
a
: a ridge connecting two higher elevations
b
: a pass in a mountain range
4
a
: both sides of the unsplit back of a carcass including both loins
b
: a colored marking on the back of an animal
c
: the rear part of a male fowl's back extending to the tail see duck illustration
5
: the central part of the spine of the binding of a book
6
: a piece of leather across the instep of a shoe
saddleless adjective

Illustration of saddle

Illustration of saddle
  • 1 western
  • 2 English

saddle

2 of 2

verb

saddled; saddling ˈsa-dᵊl-iŋ How to pronounce saddle (audio)
ˈsad-liŋ

transitive verb

1
: to put a saddle on
2
a
: to place under a burden or encumbrance
b
: to place (an onerous responsibility) on a person or group

intransitive verb

: to mount a saddled horse
Phrases
in the saddle
: in control

Examples of saddle in a Sentence

Noun the next day's hike was a stiff climb out of the saddle where they had camped for the night Verb He saddled his horse and mounted it. to the social worker it seemed as though her supervisor had once again saddled her with a truly hopeless case
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Hoyt is among the 500 adult volunteers who keep the program running so the 900 kid and teen riders can stay in the saddle. Elizabeth Hernandez, The Denver Post, 17 Nov. 2024 Some go into television instead, and some never get back in the saddle. Damon Wise, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
Target companies often resort to laying off staff and making other other aggressive cost-cutting measures to service the debts their private equity owners saddled them with to avoid going under. Allison Morrow, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024 Xi said China would carry out 30 infrastructure projects across the continent as part of his Belt and Road initiative, which has been criticized as saddling countries with debt. Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC News, 5 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for saddle 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sadel, from Old English sadol; akin to Old High German satul saddle

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of saddle was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near saddle

Cite this Entry

“Saddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saddle. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

saddle

1 of 2 noun
sad·​dle ˈsad-ᵊl How to pronounce saddle (audio)
1
a
: a padded and leather-covered seat for a horseback rider
b
: a padded part of a harness
c
: a bicycle or motorcycle seat
2
: something like a saddle in shape, position, or use
especially : a support for an object

saddle

2 of 2 verb
saddled; saddling ˈsad-liŋ How to pronounce saddle (audio)
-ᵊl-iŋ
1
: to put a saddle on
2

Medical Definition

saddle

noun
sad·​dle ˈsad-ᵊl How to pronounce saddle (audio)
: the part of a partial denture that carries an artificial tooth and has connectors for adjacent teeth attached to its ends

More from Merriam-Webster on saddle

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