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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Hwang Dong-hyuk, who was the first Asian to win an Emmy for outstanding directing in a drama series, is back in the saddle, resuming his role as director, writer and producer. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Oct. 2024 Production on Spartacus: House of Ashur is well underway in New Zealand and original showrunner Steven S. DeKnight is back in the saddle to keep things stable. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2024
Verb
According to Lindell, MCAs commonly target struggling businesses, saddling them with onerous terms and placing them in precarious financial positions. Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024 Despite being unsure of his faith, the poor man has been saddled by the just-deceased pope with the responsibility of managing the conclave of red-robed eminences who’ll vote on a successor. Tom Gliatto, People.com, 24 Oct. 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 Nov. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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