Illustration of saddle
- 1 western
- 2 English
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
saddled; saddling
ˈsad-liŋ 
ˈsa-dᵊl-iŋ
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
: to mount a saddled horse
Synonyms
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
Mark A. Milley, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2024
Although their baby girl ready to get in the saddle just yet, her parents are already passing on their love for all things equestrian.
—Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 3 Aug. 2024
Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 11 Aug. 2024
Cinder Crank Shorts: Made from a breathable softshell fabric, these shorts delivered all-day comfort with thigh venting zips for further ventilation and saddle reinforcements for durability.
—Outside Online, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for saddle 
Noun
The invention of saddles and horseshoes, for example, helped enable the creation of cavalry in the ninth century BC, which extended the battlefield beyond the flat expanses required for chariots and into new types of terrain.
—Mark A. Milley, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2024
Although their baby girl ready to get in the saddle just yet, her parents are already passing on their love for all things equestrian.
—Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 3 Aug. 2024
Verb
Foolishly using his best players as decoys saddled Smith with a 21-30 record in balmy Atlanta and a one-way ticket to chilly Pittsburgh.
—Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 11 Aug. 2024
Cinder Crank Shorts: Made from a breathable softshell fabric, these shorts delivered all-day comfort with thigh venting zips for further ventilation and saddle reinforcements for durability.
—Outside Online, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for saddle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'saddle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near saddle
Cite this Entry
“Saddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saddle. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
saddle
1 of 2 noun
sad·dle
ˈsad-ᵊl
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
Medical Definition
saddle
noun
sad·dle
ˈsad-ᵊl
: the part of a partial denture that carries an artificial tooth and has connectors for adjacent teeth attached to its ends
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