saddle

[ sad-l ]

/ ˈsæd l /

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See synonyms for: saddle / saddled / saddling on Thesaurus.com

noun

a seat for a rider on the back of a horse or other animal.

a similar seat on a bicycle, tractor, etc.

a part of a harness laid across the back of an animal and girded under the belly, to which the terrets and checkhook are attached.

something resembling a saddle in shape, position, or function.

the part of the back of an animal where a saddle is placed.

(of mutton, venison, lamb, etc.) a cut comprising both loins.
this cut, trimmed and prepared for roasting.

(of poultry) the posterior part of the back.

a ridge connecting two higher elevations.

the covering of a roof ridge.

bolster (def. 7).

a raised piece of flooring between the jambs of a doorway.

an inverted bracket bearing on the axle of a railroad car wheel as a support for the car body.

Ordnance. the support for the trunnion on some gun carriages.

Machinery. a sliding part for spanning a space or other parts to support something else, as the cross slide and toolholder of a lathe.

a strip of leather, often of a contrasting color, sewn on the vamp or instep of a shoe and extending to each side of the shank.

saddle shoe.

Ceramics. a bar of refractory clay, triangular in section, for supporting one side of an object being fired.

(in a suspension bridge) a member at the top of a tower for supporting a cable.

verb (used with object), sad·dled, sad·dling.

to put a saddle on: to saddle a horse.

to load or charge, as with a burden: He has saddled himself with a houseful of impecunious relatives.

to impose as a burden or responsibility.

verb (used without object), sad·dled, sad·dling.

to put a saddle on a horse (often followed by up).

to mount into the saddle (often followed by up).

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Idioms about saddle

in the saddle,

in a position to direct or command; in control.
at work; on the job.

Origin of saddle

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun sadel, saddul, Old English sadol; cognate with German Sattel, Old Norse sǫthull; akin to Latin sella (from unattested sedla ) “seat, stool, chair”; Middle English verb sad(e)len, Old English sadolian, derivative of the noun; see also sit¹

OTHER WORDS FROM saddle

sad·dle·less, adjectivesad·dle·like, adjectivere·sad·dle, verb, re·sad·dled, re·sad·dling.

Words nearby saddle

sad case, Saddam Hussein, sadden, sadder but wiser, Saddharma-Pundarika, saddle, saddleback, saddleback caterpillar, saddle-backed, saddlebag, saddlebill

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use saddle in a sentence

That may sound like “The Handmaid’s Tale” with saddles instead of bonnets, but North is working entirely in her own realm.
In Anna North’s riveting ‘Outlawed,’ there’s nothing more dangerous than a childless woman|Ron Charles|January 7, 2021|Washington Post
Another tweak is incorporating a low-friction material on the outside of the seat, or saddle, designed to avoid any chafing that kids might experience.
With no pedals, Specialized’s ultralight kid’s bike makes learning to ride easy|Rob Verger|December 4, 2020|Popular-Science
They used the path integral mostly as a vehicle to identify the saddle points.
The Most Famous Paradox in Physics Nears Its End|George Musser|October 29, 2020|Quanta Magazine
This stem does a great job of absorbing high-speed vibrations that will wear you down after several hours in the saddle.
New Gravel Bike Accessories for a Smoother Ride|Josh Patterson|September 28, 2020|Outside Online

They can take the wheels and the saddle off the bike, but nabbing the frame would require more work.
The most secure ways to lock up your bike|By Michael Frank/Cycle Volta|August 26, 2020|Popular-Science
Certainly Weaver has been the burr under Palmer's saddle for almost his entire career.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We will not rest till we find out what she ordered and how that famous butt is holding up after four days in the saddle.
Pippa Eating At McDonalds in Missouri RIGHT NOW!|Tom Sykes|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With the big kettledrums on either side of the saddle, and all that.
Adam Hochschild on Keeping Company With His Dying Father|Adam Hochschild|June 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But today, skyrocketing costs price way too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.
Full Text and Video of President Obama's 2013 State of the Union Address|Justin Green|February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Mrs. Buller cooked a braised saddle of veal and delicious it was too served with a rich gravy flavored with claret.
A Real-Life ‘Downton Abbey’ Affair|Margaret Powell|January 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Fatigue he never knew, and on one occasion he was said to have spent thirteen days and nights in the saddle.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
"I call you," the policeman said, and stripping the saddle and bridle from his sweaty horse, turned him loose to graze.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
We had been twelve hours in the saddle, and had ridden over nearly a hundred miles of ground.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Also our six-shooters reposed in their scabbards, the four belts hooked over the horn of MacRae's saddle.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
I pulled the saddle off my horse, slapped it down on the dirt floor, and went stalking up to the long cabin.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for saddle

saddle

/ (ˈsædəl) /

noun

a seat for a rider, usually made of leather, placed on a horse's back and secured with a girth under the belly

a similar seat on a bicycle, tractor, etc, made of leather or steel

a back pad forming part of the harness of a packhorse

anything that resembles a saddle in shape, position, or function

a cut of meat, esp mutton, consisting of part of the backbone and both loins

the part of a horse or similar animal on which a saddle is placed

the part of the back of a domestic chicken that is nearest to the tail

civil engineering a block on top of one of the towers of a suspension bridge that acts as a bearing surface over which the cables or chains pass

engineering the carriage that slides on the bed of a lathe and supports the slide rest, tool post, or turret

the nontechnical name for clitellum

another name for col (def. 1)

a raised piece of wood or metal for covering a doorsill

in the saddle in a position of control

verb

(sometimes foll by up) to put a saddle on (a horse)

(intr) to mount into the saddle

(tr) to burden; chargeI didn't ask to be saddled with this job

Derived forms of saddle

saddleless, adjectivesaddle-like, adjective

Word Origin for saddle

Old English sadol, sædel; related to Old Norse sothull, Old High German satul

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with saddle

saddle

In addition to the idiom beginning with saddle

saddle someone with

also see:

in the driver's seat (saddle)

saddle

Idioms about saddle

Origin of saddle

OTHER WORDS FROM saddle

Words nearby saddle

Words related to saddle

How to use saddle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for saddle

Derived forms of saddle

Word Origin for saddle

Other Idioms and Phrases with saddle