padding

American  

[pad-ing] / ˈpæd ɪŋ /

noun

1. material, as cotton or straw, used to pad something.

2. something added unnecessarily or dishonestly, as verbiage to a speech or a false charge on an expense account.

3. the act of a person or thing that pads. pad.

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padding British  

/ ˈpædɪŋ /

noun

1. any soft material used to pad clothes, furniture, etc

2. superfluous material put into a speech or written work to pad it out; waffle

3. inflated or false entries in a financial account, esp an expense account

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Etymology

Origin of padding

First recorded in 1820–30; pad ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

With all that soft padding on the jaws of the trap, it probably wouldn’t hurt a monkey’s paw at all.

From Literature

“Oh, now, there, there, little lamb, drink some more. You’ve banged yourself up quite a bit. There’s no padding on those scrawny bones of yours. Can be quite useful, you know.”

From Literature

It requires padding, helmets, tape, playbooks, film and 22 players.

From The Wall Street Journal

The entire clan of the sphinxes followed behind, walking four abreast, padding on vast lion feet across the sand.

From Literature

The center’s calendar is looking increasingly sclerotic as big names continue to defect, with the NSO providing much-needed padding as it moves on in the face of unending change.

From Los Angeles Times