paddle

¹ American  

[pad-l] / ˈpæd l /

noun

• paddles
  plural

1. a short, flat bladed oar for propelling and steering a canoe or small boat, usually held by both hands and moved more or less through a vertical arc.

2. any of various similar implements used for mixing, stirring, or beating.

3. any of various similar but smaller implements with a short handle for holding in one hand and a wide or rounded blade, used for a racket in table tennis, paddle tennis, etc.

4. such an implement or a similarly shaped makeshift one, used to spank or beat someone.

5. an implement used for beating garments while washing them in running water, as in a stream.

6. Also called float, floatboard. a blade of a paddle wheel.

7. paddle wheel.

8. any of the blades by which a water wheel is turned.

9. a flipper or limb of a penguin, turtle, whale, etc.

10. an act of paddling.

11. British Dialect. Also pattle a small spade with a long handle, used to dig up thistles.

12. (in a gate of a lock or sluice) a panel that slides to permit the passage of water.

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verb (used without object)

paddled, paddling

1. to propel or travel in a canoe or the like by using a paddle.

2. to row lightly or gently with oars.

3. to move by means of paddle wheels, as a steamer.

verb (used with object)

paddled, paddling

1. to propel with a paddle.

   to paddle a canoe.

2. to spank or beat with or as with a paddle.

3. to stir, mix, or beat with or as with a paddle

4. to convey by paddling, as a canoe.

5. to hit (a table-tennis ball or the like) with a paddle.

idioms

1. paddle one's own canoe. canoe.

paddle ² American  

[pad-l] / ˈpæd l /

verb (used without object)

paddled, paddling

1. to move the feet or hands playfully in shallow water; dabble.

2. to toy with the fingers.

3. to toddle.

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paddle ¹ British  

/ ˈpædəl /

noun

1. a short light oar with a flat blade at one or both ends, used without a rowlock to propel a canoe or small boat

2. Also called: float. a blade of a water wheel or paddle wheel

3. a period of paddling

   to go for a paddle upstream

4. 1. a paddle wheel used to propel a boat

   2. ( as modifier )

      a paddle steamer

5. the sliding panel in a lock or sluicegate that regulates the level or flow of water

6. any of various instruments shaped like a paddle and used for beating, mixing, etc

7. a table-tennis bat

8. the flattened limb of a seal, turtle, or similar aquatic animal, specialized for swimming

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verb

1. to propel (a canoe, small boat, etc) with a paddle

2. 1. to be self-sufficient

   2. to mind one's own business

3. (tr) to convey by paddling

   we paddled him to the shore

4. (tr) to stir or mix with or as if with a paddle

5. to row (a boat) steadily, esp (of a racing crew) to row firmly but not at full pressure

6. (intr) (of steamships) to be propelled by paddle wheels

7. (intr) to swim with short rapid strokes, like a dog

8. informal (tr) to spank

paddle ² British  

/ ˈpædəl /

verb

1. to walk or play barefoot in shallow water, mud, etc

2. to dabble the fingers, hands, or feet in water

3. to walk unsteadily, like a baby

4. archaic (tr) to fondle with the fingers

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noun

1. the act of paddling in water

paddle More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing paddle

• up the creek (without a paddle)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• paddler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• paddles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of paddle¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English noun padell “long-handled spade”; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Medieval Latin padela, padule

Origin of paddle²

First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain; perhaps from Low German paddeln “to tramp about”

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Explanation

If you regularly ride around in a canoe, you’re undoubtedly already familiar with a paddle, a pole with a broad, flat end that is used to propel a boat forward. Nautical types will already know that the noun form of the word paddle refers to an implement with a flat blade used to move a boat through the water. The word can also be used to describe items with a similar look, such as a paddle used in table tennis or certain kinds of video games. The verb form of paddle refers to the action of navigating through the water, either in a boat using a paddle or as a swimmer who used the hands and feet to move around in shallow water.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paddle paddles paddled paddling

The canoe and kayak slalom paddle events for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics will take place at a white-water venue at the river complex.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Drivers tick the right paddle shifter to select first gear, uh, first.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Bury got into a kayak but there were no oars nearby to help him paddle, he told the station.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

If children are desperate to go to the park or paddle at the beach, wait until it's cooler in the evening.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

“Oh sure,” Florida said, dipping her paddle slowly into the water.

From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech

He has also designed boats, paddles and other waterproof products, and said he was curious about what materials had been used to paint the pool.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

The company is installing new mixing tanks, paddles and motors, Hewitt said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

German media have broadcast the hapless creature lying motionless in shallow water for hours on end, with men in diving suits splashing water on it using kayak paddles.

From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026

The history of the building also captivated Brendan - it is an undershot watermill, which means water flows underneath the waterwheel, striking the paddles at the bottom.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026

We found life vests, two short-arm paddles, a plastic milk crate filled with rope, binoculars, a bent screwdriver, a wrench kit and a rusty hammer, and a long-dead muskrat.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin

Some customers paddled by on rafts and boards, above what used to be the boardwalk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

A few children splashed in the shallows as the surfers paddled out to sea, fighting the crashing waves.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

We chose a tandem canoe and paddled our way up and down the river, watching the wildlife and soaking up the sun.

From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026

Surfers and swimmers on Friday paddled out beyond Bondi's iconic breaks to honour those who died.

From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2025

Without stopping to catch his breath, Duane leaped into what was left of the Cold, Cold Ocean and paddled toward the Shipwreck.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

These models suggest that the animal propelled itself through the water by paddling with its front legs and moving its tail in an undulating motion.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

The accident took place near the iconic Steamer Lane surf break, described by Surfer Today as the heart and soul of Santa Cruz surfing where locals have been paddling out since the 1930s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Several private schools in Ohio and Virginia permit paddling as discipline even though those states outlaw corporal punishment in public schools.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Beneath the surface, though, investors are paddling furiously to navigate shifting financial currents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

But at least, Nhamo reminded herself, she was paddling toward Zimbabwe.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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Related Words

• drift
• navigate
• slop
• splash
• wade

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