as in loading
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 saddling
The war in Iran, now in its third week, is causing oil prices to soar, saddling airlines with some of the highest fuel costs in years.
—
Andrea Sachs The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 29 Mar. 2026
Through no fault of Newton’s, Faith functions less as a second protagonist than a prop to give Grace more emotional investment in the proceedings by saddling her with guilt over their estrangement or opportunities to nobly sacrifice herself.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Mar. 2026
Stick Cowan with Auston Matthews to see if there’s a possible fit there rather than saddling the captain with Max Domi again and again.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Audiences didn’t respond to it either, saddling it with a C+ CinemaScore, though the Audience Popcornmeter at Rotten Tomatoes was a bit more generous than the critics, a 73 percent versus the Tomatometer score of 59 percent.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2026
Nurses countered that top hospital executives make millions of dollars a year while saddling nurses with unmanageable workloads.
—Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
Court records from Taste of Belgium’s bankruptcy reveal its sales slumped by nearly a fifth in the last two years, saddling the popular eatery with more than $6 million in debts.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Jan. 2026
In Colorado, Connecticut, and Maine, for example, new laws aim to increase transparency and prevent utilities from saddling customers with questionable costs—such as trade-association membership dues, donations to interest groups, advertising, and legal fees from rate cases.
—Nick Bowlin, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
In an industry generally notorious for denying claims while saddling patients with medical debt, United had a reputation for denying more than most.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 15 Nov. 2025
Andrea Sachs The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 29 Mar. 2026
Through no fault of Newton’s, Faith functions less as a second protagonist than a prop to give Grace more emotional investment in the proceedings by saddling her with guilt over their estrangement or opportunities to nobly sacrifice herself.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Mar. 2026
Stick Cowan with Auston Matthews to see if there’s a possible fit there rather than saddling the captain with Max Domi again and again.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Audiences didn’t respond to it either, saddling it with a C+ CinemaScore, though the Audience Popcornmeter at Rotten Tomatoes was a bit more generous than the critics, a 73 percent versus the Tomatometer score of 59 percent.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2026
Nurses countered that top hospital executives make millions of dollars a year while saddling nurses with unmanageable workloads.
—Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
Court records from Taste of Belgium’s bankruptcy reveal its sales slumped by nearly a fifth in the last two years, saddling the popular eatery with more than $6 million in debts.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Jan. 2026
In Colorado, Connecticut, and Maine, for example, new laws aim to increase transparency and prevent utilities from saddling customers with questionable costs—such as trade-association membership dues, donations to interest groups, advertising, and legal fees from rate cases.
—Nick Bowlin, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
In an industry generally notorious for denying claims while saddling patients with medical debt, United had a reputation for denying more than most.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 15 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saddling
Verb
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Earlier, officers were seen loading several people into a vehicle along the same stretch of street.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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On Wednesday, a jury in California determined that Meta and YouTube were responsible for loading their social media platforms with addictive features that harmed the mental health of a minor.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There is room for reasonable discussion about how to implement verification without burdening eligible voters.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
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And year after year, NYU has routinely been ranked with the dubious distinction of burdening its graduates with more debt than any other university in the United States.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And in South Florida groups have stepped in to support migrants navigating complicated immigration processes, from deportation to self-deportation, often filling gaps left by government systems.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
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Generic Lamps Standard table lamps have started to feel more like placeholders than design decisions, filling space, but not really contributing to it.—
Angelika Pokovba,
Martha Stewart,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Saddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saddling. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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