paddle
1a 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.
any of various similar implements used for mixing, stirring, or beating.
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.
such an implement or a similarly shaped makeshift one, used to spank or beat someone.
an implement used for beating garments while washing them in running water, as in a stream.
Also called float, floatboard . a blade of a paddle wheel.
any of the blades by which a water wheel is turned.
a flipper or limb of a penguin, turtle, whale, etc.
an act of paddling.
Also pat·tle [pat-l, paht-l] /ˈpæt l, ˈpɑt l/ .British Dialect. a small spade with a long handle, used to dig up thistles.
(in a gate of a lock or sluice) a panel that slides to permit the passage of water.
to propel or travel in a canoe or the like by using a paddle.
to row lightly or gently with oars.
to move by means of paddle wheels, as a steamer.
to propel with a paddle: to paddle a canoe.
to spank or beat with or as with a paddle.
to stir, mix, or beat with or as with a paddle
to convey by paddling, as a canoe.
to hit (a table-tennis ball or the like) with a paddle.
Idioms about paddle
paddle one's own canoe. canoe (def. 6).
Origin of paddle
1Other words from paddle
- paddler, noun
Other definitions for paddle (2 of 2)
to move the feet or hands playfully in shallow water; dabble.
to toy with the fingers.
to toddle.
Origin of paddle
2Other words from paddle
- paddler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use paddle in a sentence
I haf zeen on the fieldt of pattle the voarst eggsipitions of human paseness—chelousy, fanity, ecodistic bridte.
The March Family Trilogy, Complete | William Dean HowellsIf he liked a book ill, he liked a plough or a pattle worse.
The Monastery | Sir Walter ScottDen he make hisse'f uh pattle an' dey all makes pattles an' dey floats dat boat an' pattles cross to de udder side.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States, From Interviews with Former Slaves | Work Projects Administration
British Dictionary definitions for paddle (1 of 2)
/ (ˈpædəl) /
a short light oar with a flat blade at one or both ends, used without a rowlock to propel a canoe or small boat
Also called: float a blade of a water wheel or paddle wheel
a period of paddling: to go for a paddle upstream
a paddle wheel used to propel a boat
(as modifier): a paddle steamer
the sliding panel in a lock or sluicegate that regulates the level or flow of water
any of various instruments shaped like a paddle and used for beating, mixing, etc
a table-tennis bat
the flattened limb of a seal, turtle, or similar aquatic animal, specialized for swimming
to propel (a canoe, small boat, etc) with a paddle
paddle one's own canoe
to be self-sufficient
to mind one's own business
(tr) to convey by paddling: we paddled him to the shore
(tr) to stir or mix with or as if with a paddle
to row (a boat) steadily, esp (of a racing crew) to row firmly but not at full pressure
(intr) (of steamships) to be propelled by paddle wheels
(intr) to swim with short rapid strokes, like a dog
(tr) US and Canadian informal to spank
Origin of paddle
1Derived forms of paddle
- paddler, noun
British Dictionary definitions for paddle (2 of 2)
/ (ˈpædəl) /
to walk or play barefoot in shallow water, mud, etc
to dabble the fingers, hands, or feet in water
to walk unsteadily, like a baby
(tr) archaic to fondle with the fingers
the act of paddling in water
Origin of paddle
2Derived forms of paddle
- paddler, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with paddle
In addition to the idiom beginning with paddle
- paddle one's own canoe
also see:
- up the creek (without a paddle)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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