Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

legal pad

American  

noun

  1. a ruled writing tablet, usually yellow and measuring 8½ × 14 inches (22 × 36 centimeters).


Etymology

Origin of legal pad

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Maduro took meticulous notes on a yellow legal pad that he asked a judge to confirm that he could keep with him after the hearing.

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2026

I do a three-list rule, where I sit with a legal pad and I make three lists: Must do, should do and don’t you dare add this today.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

I remember staring at you with your yellow legal pad in a Paris hotel lobby while we drank cappuccinos and you wrote that four-page monologue for my character in “Inland Empire.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2025

The defendant's parents, the Stanford Law School professors Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, took notes on a yellow legal pad that they passed back and forth to each other as Yedidia testified.

From Reuters • Oct. 5, 2023

He answered the telephone in the office on Andreason Street and took notes on a yellow legal pad.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "legal pad" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com