as in loaded
to place a weight or burden on
to the social worker it seemed as though her supervisor had once again saddled her with a truly hopeless case
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Recent Examples of saddled
The second-oldest president in American history is saddled by sub-40% approval ratings and is far underwater even on his handling of the economy and immigration, which were at one time his strong suits.
—
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
What if the Browns never saddled Stefanski with Deshaun Watson’s contract?
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The veteran attorney, her husband Marc Agnifilo and their co-counsel Jacob Kaplan say prosecutors unfairly saddled Mangione with two murder cases and enhanced charges because of the publicity his case received.
—Shayna Jacobs, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
The job market has been sluggish, while high interest rates and a housing affordability crisis have saddled millions in debt and frozen out would-be homebuyers.
—Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 26 Jan. 2026
That saddled the combined company with an untenable $50 billion in debt even as cable networks cratered and viewers flocked to streaming.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Jan. 2026
Newsom said in September that Trump’s decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles amounted to costly political theater that saddled taxpayers with a nearly $120-million bill.
—Melody Gutierrez, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
That second-half image — Peterson saddled on a folding chair, a trainer massaging his leg, assistant coach Jeremy Case pacing the sideline presumably to gather some updates — provided a reminder that in a moment’s notice, this Kansas team will need to be more than Darryn Peterson.
—Sam McDowell December 7, Kansas City Star, 8 Dec. 2025
In various shadows of the things that have been, Chris Hoch plays young Ebenezer’s father as an abusive drunk, a schemer who saddled the family with debt.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
What if the Browns never saddled Stefanski with Deshaun Watson’s contract?
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The veteran attorney, her husband Marc Agnifilo and their co-counsel Jacob Kaplan say prosecutors unfairly saddled Mangione with two murder cases and enhanced charges because of the publicity his case received.
—Shayna Jacobs, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
The job market has been sluggish, while high interest rates and a housing affordability crisis have saddled millions in debt and frozen out would-be homebuyers.
—Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 26 Jan. 2026
That saddled the combined company with an untenable $50 billion in debt even as cable networks cratered and viewers flocked to streaming.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Jan. 2026
Newsom said in September that Trump’s decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles amounted to costly political theater that saddled taxpayers with a nearly $120-million bill.
—Melody Gutierrez, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
That second-half image — Peterson saddled on a folding chair, a trainer massaging his leg, assistant coach Jeremy Case pacing the sideline presumably to gather some updates — provided a reminder that in a moment’s notice, this Kansas team will need to be more than Darryn Peterson.
—Sam McDowell December 7, Kansas City Star, 8 Dec. 2025
In various shadows of the things that have been, Chris Hoch plays young Ebenezer’s father as an abusive drunk, a schemer who saddled the family with debt.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saddled
Verb
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From there Moss scrapped to two outs, but the Bruins worked the bases loaded before Martin slapped a single up the middle to drive in two runs.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
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And with so much American history to share, Straughter has loaded her quilts with images both front and back.—
Susan DeGrane,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Instead, he’s burdened by the pain and state of the world.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2026
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About two-thirds of Austin ISD staff are cost-burdened, Superintendent Matias Segura said in a statement.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Volunteers moved through the crowd, registering names as families filled classrooms and gathered in the school courtyard.—
FADI TAWIL,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
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Following an unprecedented spring 2026 season filled with designer debuts, Paris Fashion Week may seem quieter this time around.—
Laure Guilbault,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Saddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saddled. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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