paddock

¹ American  

[pad-uhk] / ˈpæd ək /

noun

1. a small, usually enclosed field near a stable or barn for pasturing or exercising animals.

2. the enclosure in which horses are saddled and mounted before a race.

3. Australian. any enclosed field or pasture.

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verb (used with object)

1. to confine or enclose in or as in a paddock.

paddock ² American  

[pad-uhk] / ˈpæd ək /

noun

1. Archaic. a frog or toad.

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paddock ¹ British  

/ ˈpædək /

noun

1. a small enclosed field, often for grazing or training horses, usually near a house or stable

2. (in horse racing) the enclosure in which horses are paraded and mounted before a race, together with the accompanying rooms

3. (in motor racing) an area near the pits where cars are worked on before races

4. any area of fenced land

5. a playing field

6. informal a stockroute or roadside area offering feed to sheep and cattle in dry times

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verb

1. (tr) to confine (horses, etc) in a paddock

paddock ² British  

/ ˈpædək /

noun

1. Also called (Scot): puddock.  archaic a frog or toad

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Etymology

Origin of paddock¹

1540–50; variant of Middle English parrok, with r heard as flapped d; Old English pearroc enclosure, originally fence. See park

Origin of paddock²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English paddok(e), derivative of early Middle English pad “toad” (compare English dialectal pad “frog”); akin to Dutch, Low German pad, Old Norse padda; -ock

Example Sentences

Referring to the bosses of F1 and his potential loss from the paddock, he implied that a change of the rules would make a difference to his decision.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

One theory on the F1 paddock was that Mercedes had discovered a hack with regard to engine compression ratios, a technical spec that ultimately affects engine horsepower.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

Insp Gareth Childs, of South Wales Police, and his colleague PC Stuart Elson turned their car around and drove to the paddock where Williams had parked.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

As they walked near the paddock and gallops of Evan Williams Racing, their lights "drew the attention of Mr Williams", Bebb said.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Woolf walked down to the paddock, where Clem McCarthy awaited him, microphone in hand for a live interview.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• oval
• track