saddle
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A seat for the rider of a horse or other animal.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
saduhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsædəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A seat for the rider of a horse or other animal
A similar implement used to secure goods to animals; a packsaddle.
A seat for the rider of a bicycle
The immovable seat of a bicycle, motorcycle, or similar vehicle.
A cushion used as a seat in a cart or other vehicle.
A low point, in the shape of a saddle, between two hills.
verb
transitivefiguratively
To enter (a trained horse) into a race.
transitivefiguratively
(often passive voice) Chiefly followed by with: to burden or encumber (someone) with some problem or responsibility.
transitivefiguratively
Chiefly followed by on or upon: to place (a burden or responsibility) or thrust (a problem) on someone.
transitivefiguratively
(archaic) To control or restrain (someone or something), as if using a saddle; to bridle, to harness, to rein in.
transitivefiguratively
(obsolete, rare) To get (someone) to do a burdensome task.
transitive
To put a saddle (noun sense 1) on (an animal).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- General and technical use
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A seat for the rider of a horse or other animal
Used this way, saddle is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- bicycle seat , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use saddle
- “He saddled me with that heavy responsibility.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Having a saddle on or being mounted on a saddled animal.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A high pommel of a Western saddle (usually metal covered with leather).
A lightweight horse kept for riding only.
Backbone and both loins of a lamb.
An oxford with a saddle of contrasting color.
Thin-shelled bivalve having the right valve deeply notched.
A double sloping roof with a ridge and gables at each end.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: seat for the rider of a horse
Antonyms
Sense: to enter (a trained horse) into a race
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.