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
Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
Director Wincer and scenarist Wittliff have created a big-hearted epic that sits tall in the saddle, a vivid video display of cowboy iconography that’s got the Emmy brand all over it, and that thrillingly shows how the West can be magnificently won by Hollywood.
—Miles Beller, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
What if the Browns never saddled Stefanski with Deshaun Watson’s contract?
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for saddle
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Noun
Now, with Eschenbach out as CEO, Bhusri is back in the saddle as CEO and chairman.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
Director Wincer and scenarist Wittliff have created a big-hearted epic that sits tall in the saddle, a vivid video display of cowboy iconography that’s got the Emmy brand all over it, and that thrillingly shows how the West can be magnificently won by Hollywood.
—Miles Beller, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
Raman and Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky warned the project was too financially risky and would saddle the city with significant budget shortfalls starting in 2031 — after Bass is out of office.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
What if the Browns never saddled Stefanski with Deshaun Watson’s contract?
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for saddle
Cite this Entry
“Saddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saddle. Accessed 15 Feb. 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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