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
see also in the saddle
saddled; saddling
ˈsa-dᵊl-iŋ 
ˈsad-liŋ
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 of saddle
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
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
The saddle is well-cushioned, the bars offer a neutral upright posture, and the rubber grips are comfortable.
—New Atlas, 18 Dec. 2025
Melody Gutierrez, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for saddle
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Noun
New riders tend to notice these sensations more simply because their bodies haven’t yet adapted to longer periods in the saddle.
—Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
The saddle is well-cushioned, the bars offer a neutral upright posture, and the rubber grips are comfortable.
—New Atlas, 18 Dec. 2025
Verb
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
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
See All Example Sentences for saddle
Cite this Entry
“Saddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saddle. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.
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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