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

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

On the park's website, the authority said visitors must not enter the water at any time, which includes using kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and dinghies.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

If you’re not down with the fancy footwork, Mazda also offers the RF with a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 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

I used to take out a canoe and paddle silently along, early in the morning or late in the evening.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

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

He improvised repairs using PVC pipes and kayak paddles to get his boat back on course.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 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

As Sobie spoke to the BBC, canoes - steered with paddles or long bamboo poles - moved through the narrow waterways, carrying mattresses and sacks of clothes belonging to the displaced people.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026

How deep into the water should the paddles of an undershot wheel go?

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

Monitoring from the rear of the group, Paul saw something was wrong, paddled to the right-hand side of the river and left the water.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

In 2002, a former math and science teacher and prison guard named John Darwin paddled a kayak into the North Sea from his home in Seaton Carew, England, and disappeared.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 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

I paddled over, a million questions fighting to be first out my mouth.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

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

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

Newman also said snapping turtles would be unlikely to bite humans paddling in the water, but would target mammals living there such as water voles.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

It was a mile or more, and it was some time before they came back, paddling two boats swiftly along the shore.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Related Words

• drift
• navigate
• slop
• splash
• wade