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

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”

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

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

On Thursday, the beachside felt calm as a woman was leisurely paddle boarding in the shallows while children played on the beach.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

The regenerative braking thresholds are adjustable by way of a paddle shifter on the back of the steering wheel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

If the Labour Party is up the creek without a paddle after last week, to revert to Yank lingo, it also finds itself in an anomalous position.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

She heard his paddle dip in and out of the water, in and out.

From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech

Griffin added it was sad to see closures for a second summer running, but she stopped short of blaming maintenance issues alone, pointing to boaters who had hit gates or left lock paddles open.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 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 beach is not one from which a surfer paddles out on his or her board, or escapes without being tossed about as if by a washing machine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 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

Looped neatly over pegs beside each marionette was an array of dowels and paddles, strung together with thin black cord.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

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

A group of kayakers say they had an "incredible surprise" when a curious dolphin swam beside them as they paddled under the Forth Rail Bridge.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025

Exploiting a series of portages linking Lake Michigan and local rivers, they paddled their canoes from Canada’s Atlantic shore to the Gulf of Mexico and as far west as the Rocky Mountains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

She paddled vigorously, looking for signs of people in the early-morning light.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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

The restrictions mean hosepipes should not be used for watering gardens, washing cars, allotments, filling paddling pools or swimming pools, or cleaning windows.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Tamika and Sofia-Ann, 14, were paddling at Pensarn beach, Abergele, Conwy, but lost their footing when they were suddenly dragged under water.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

They began paddling the small canoe upstream, but before they had gotten very far, a shifting whirlpool spun the canoe around, pushing them toward the rapids and right in the path of a waterfall!

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• drift
• navigate
• slop
• splash
• wade