stirrup
Americannoun
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a loop, ring, or other contrivance of metal, wood, leather, etc., suspended from the saddle of a horse to support the rider's foot.
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any of various similar supports or clamps used for special purposes.
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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.
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Also called binder. (in reinforced-concrete constructions) a U -shaped or W -shaped bent rod for supporting longitudinal reinforcing rods.
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Anatomy. stapes.
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a strap of fabric or elastic at the bottom of a pair of pants, worn around and under the foot.
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(used with a plural verb) stirrups, close-fitting knit pants with such straps.
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noun
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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
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a U-shaped support or clamp made of metal, wood, leather, etc
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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
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the usual US name for étrier
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
And still the robot’s hands formed the stirrup, nor did he betray the slightest atom of surprise at the grotesque figure into which Powell had been converted.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
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.
