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stirrup

American  
[stur-uhp, stir-, stuhr-] / ˈstɜr əp, ˈstɪr-, ˈstʌr- /

noun

  1. a loop, ring, or other contrivance of metal, wood, leather, etc., suspended from the saddle of a horse to support the rider's foot.

  2. any of various similar supports or clamps used for special purposes.

  3. Nautical. a short rope with an eye at the end hung from a yard to support a footrope, the footrope being rove through the eye.

  4. Also called binder.  (in reinforced-concrete constructions) a U -shaped or W -shaped bent rod for supporting longitudinal reinforcing rods.

  5. Anatomy. stapes.

    1. a strap of fabric or elastic at the bottom of a pair of pants, worn around and under the foot.

    2. (used with a plural verb) stirrups, close-fitting knit pants with such straps.

stirrup British  
/ ˈstɪrəp /

noun

  1. Also called: stirrup iron.  either of two metal loops on a riding saddle, with a flat footpiece through which a rider puts his foot for support. They are attached to the saddle by stirrup leathers

  2. a U-shaped support or clamp made of metal, wood, leather, etc

  3. nautical one of a set of ropes fastened to a yard at one end and having a thimble at the other through which a footrope is rove for support

  4. the usual US name for étrier

"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 Word Forms

  • stirrupless adjective
  • stirruplike adjective

Etymology

Origin of stirrup

before 1000; Middle English; Old English stigrāp ( stige ascent + rāp rope ); cognate with German Stegreif

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A safety stirrup, which creates a step out of a leash, may be helpful.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 8, 2022

The stitching stiffened the shaft, while the smooth sole and high heel let the foot slide easily into the stirrup and remain there.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 21, 2018

Kelly Forman said she became a recluse after suffering a spinal injury and brain damage in a June 2011 fall after Mark Henkin fitted her horse with a defective stirrup.

From Washington Post • Feb. 13, 2018

Graham learned how to become a stirrup connoisseur when he met Sean Gilmartin during spring trainings in the Atlanta Braves’ farm system.

From New York Times • Sep. 17, 2016

But my favorite was a stirrup cup molded in the shape of a wolf’s head and shoulders, with the head lifted and the mouth pulled into an O for a long howl.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.