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
Vocabulary lists containing stirrup
Chinese History - Introductory
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Chinese History - Middle School and High School
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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
“To have another stirrup buddy like that, we’re kind of a close-knit family.”
From New York Times • Sep. 17, 2016
A trick rider had claimed that he could jump a car while riding two horses simultaneously, “Roman” style—a foot in one stirrup of each.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
