pad

[ pad ]

/ pæd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pad ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a cushionlike mass of soft material used for comfort, protection, or stuffing.

a soft, stuffed cushion used as a saddle; a padded leather saddle without a tree.

a number of sheets of paper glued or otherwise held together at one edge to form a tablet.

a soft, ink-soaked block of absorbent material for inking a rubber stamp.

Anatomy, Zoology. any fleshy mass of tissue that cushions a weight-bearing part of the body, as on the underside of a paw.

the foot, as of a fox, hare, or wolf.

a piece or fold of gauze or other absorbent material for use as a surgical dressing or a protective covering.

Zoology. a pulvillus, as on the tarsus or foot of an insect.

a lily pad.

Rocketry. launch pad.

Slang.

one's living quarters, as an apartment or room.
one's bed.
a room where people gather to take narcotics; an addicts' den.

Slang.

money paid as a bribe to and shared among police officers, as for ignoring law violations.
a list of police officers receiving such money.

Electricity. a nonadjustable attenuator consisting of a network of fixed resistors.

Shipbuilding.

a metal plate riveted or welded to a surface as a base or attachment for bolts, hooks, eyes, etc.
a piece of wood laid on the back of a deck beam to give the deck surface a desired amount of camber.

Carpentry.

a handle for holding various small, interchangeable saw blades.
Also pod. a socket in a brace for a bit.

Metallurgy. a raised surface on a casting.

a small deposit of weld metal, as for building up a worn surface.

verb (used with object), pad·ded, pad·ding.

to furnish, protect, fill out, or stuff with a pad or padding.

to expand or add to unnecessarily or dishonestly: to pad a speech; to pad an expense account.

Metallurgy. to add metal to (a casting) above its required dimensions, to insure the flow of enough metal to all parts.

verb (used without object), pad·ded, pad·ding.

to insure the proper forging of a piece.

Nearby words

pact, pact of steel, pactolus, pacy, paczki, pad, pad foot, pad saw, pad stone, pad thai, pada

Idioms

on the pad, Slang. (of a police officer) receiving a bribe, especially on a regular basis.

Origin of pad

1545–55; orig. special uses of obsolete pad bundle to lie on, perhaps blend of pack¹ and bed

Definition for pad (2 of 3)

pad

[ pad ]

/ pæd /

noun

a dull, muffled sound, as of footsteps on the ground.

a road horse, as distinguished from a hunting or working horse.

a highwayman.

British Dialect. a path, lane, or road.

verb (used with object), pad·ded, pad·ding.

to travel along on foot.

to beat down by treading.

verb (used without object), pad·ded, pad·ding.

to travel on foot; walk.

to walk so that one's footsteps make a dull, muffled sound.

Origin of pad

1545–55; (noun) < Middle Dutch or Low German pad path (orig. argot; hence, apparently, “highwayman” and “horse”); (v.) < Middle Dutch padden to make or follow a path, cognate with Old English pæththan to traverse, derivative of pæth path; defs 1, 8 perhaps represent an independent expressive word that has been influenced by other senses

Definition for pad (3 of 3)

PaD

Pennsylvania Dutch.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pad

He described in painful detail the composition of the bars and the heavy shackles on the pad locks.
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Next he laced on first the right skate, with a pad of cotton under the tongue, and then the left.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse|W.C. Heinz|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The agent across from Todashev is said to have presented him with a pad and he began to write a confession.
How Local Police Missed a Chance to Stop Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2011|Michael Daly|July 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Some believe this was all a ploy by the Dean to pad his resume.
Who Wants To Be Prime Minister? Not Rami Hamdallah|Maysoon Zayid|June 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST

I always have a pad on my bedside, in case I want to write straight away.
Oliver Sacks: How I Write|Noah Charney|December 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When the gold is pressed into the impressions of the tools with the pad of cotton-wool, they should be plainly visible through it.
Bookbinding, and the Care of Books|Douglas Cockerell
The speaking-tube used was of woven material, not of rubber, and a pad of felt was kept in the tube near the diaphragm box.
Harvard Psychological Studies, Volume 1|Various
This formed a pad fast at both ends but separate in the middle.
Forty Years Among the Indians|Daniel W. Jones
It was not big enough for the mark of a pad, and it was not the place for the saddle to make it.
The History of Gambling in England|John Ashton
When it has stopped bleeding put a pad of linen upon it, and keep it wet.
With Lee in Virginia|G. A. Henty

British Dictionary definitions for pad (1 of 2)

pad

/ (pæd) /

noun

a thick piece of soft material used to make something comfortable, give it shape, or protect it

a guard made of flexible resilient material worn in various sports to protect parts of the body

Also called: stamp pad, ink pad a block of firm absorbent material soaked with ink for transferring to a rubber stamp

Also called: notepad, writing pad a number of sheets of paper fastened together along one edge

a flat piece of stiff material used to back a piece of blotting paper

the fleshy cushion-like underpart of the foot of a cat, dog, etc
any of the parts constituting such a structure

any of various level surfaces or flat-topped structures, such as a launch pad

entomol a nontechnical name for pulvillus

the large flat floating leaf of the water lily

electronics a resistive attenuator network inserted in the path of a signal to reduce amplitude or to match one circuit to another

slang a person's residence

slang a bed or bedroom

verb pads, padding or padded (tr)

to line, stuff, or fill out with soft material, esp in order to protect or give shape to

(often foll by out) to inflate with irrelevant or false informationto pad out a story

Word Origin for pad

C16: origin uncertain; compare Low German pad sole of the foot

British Dictionary definitions for pad (2 of 2)

pad

/ (pæd) /

verb pads, padding or padded

(intr; often foll by along, up, etc) to walk with a soft or muffled tread

(when intr, often foll by around) to travel (a route) on foot, esp at a slow pace; trampto pad around the country

noun

a dull soft sound, esp of footsteps

archaic short for footpad

archaic, or dialect a slow-paced horse; nag

Australian a path or tracka cattle pad

Word Origin for pad

C16: perhaps from Middle Dutch paden, from pad path

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

Medicine definitions for pad

pad

[ păd ]

n.

A soft material forming a cushion, used in applying or relieving pressure on a part, or in filling a depression so that dressings can fit snugly.

A fatty mass of tissue acting as a cushion in the body, such as the fleshy underside of a finger or toe.