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paddle
1[ pad-l ]
noun
- 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.
- any of various similar implements used for mixing, stirring, or beating.
- 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.
- such an implement or a similarly shaped makeshift one, used to spank or beat someone.
- an implement used for beating garments while washing them in running water, as in a stream.
- any of the blades by which a water wheel is turned.
- a flipper or limb of a penguin, turtle, whale, etc.
- an act of paddling.
- Also pat·tle []. British Dialect. a small spade with a long handle, used to dig up thistles.
- (in a gate of a lock or sluice) a panel that slides to permit the passage of water.
verb (used without object)
- to propel or travel in a canoe or the like by using a paddle.
- to row lightly or gently with oars.
- to move by means of paddle wheels, as a steamer.
verb (used with object)
- to propel with a paddle:
to paddle a canoe.
- to spank or beat with or as with a paddle.
- to stir, mix, or beat with or as with a paddle
- to convey by paddling, as a canoe.
- to hit (a table-tennis ball or the like) with a paddle.
paddle
2[ pad-l ]
verb (used without object)
- to move the feet or hands playfully in shallow water; dabble.
- to toy with the fingers.
- to toddle.
paddle
1/ ˈpædəl /
noun
- a short light oar with a flat blade at one or both ends, used without a rowlock to propel a canoe or small boat
- Also calledfloat a blade of a water wheel or paddle wheel
- a period of paddling
to go for a paddle upstream
- a paddle wheel used to propel a boat
- ( as modifier )
a paddle steamer
- the sliding panel in a lock or sluicegate that regulates the level or flow of water
- any of various instruments shaped like a paddle and used for beating, mixing, etc
- a table-tennis bat
- the flattened limb of a seal, turtle, or similar aquatic animal, specialized for swimming
verb
- to propel (a canoe, small boat, etc) with a paddle
- paddle one's own canoe
- to be self-sufficient
- to mind one's own business
- tr to convey by paddling
we paddled him to the shore
- tr to stir or mix with or as if with a paddle
- to row (a boat) steadily, esp (of a racing crew) to row firmly but not at full pressure
- intr (of steamships) to be propelled by paddle wheels
- intr to swim with short rapid strokes, like a dog
- informal.tr to spank
paddle
2/ ˈpædəl /
verb
- to walk or play barefoot in shallow water, mud, etc
- to dabble the fingers, hands, or feet in water
- to walk unsteadily, like a baby
- archaic.tr to fondle with the fingers
noun
- the act of paddling in water
Derived Forms
- ˈpaddler, noun
- ˈpaddler, noun
Other Words From
- paddler noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of paddle1
Origin of paddle2
Word History and Origins
Origin of paddle1
Origin of paddle2
Idioms and Phrases
- paddle one's own canoe. canoe ( def 6 ).
More idioms and phrases containing paddle
In addition to the idiom beginning with paddle , also see up the creek (without a paddle) .Example Sentences
"Best of luck to all the couples," Wallace calls out, peering over the top of the desk with a thumbs up, while Gromit holds up a score paddle with "7" on it.
Police say that after sinking his kayak and cell phone in the lake, he paddled a small child-sized boat to shore where he had stashed an E-bike.
Then we paddled back, racing to return the kayaks before sundown.
The timing couldn’t be better for the Rams, who, like furiously paddling surfers, have successfully caught this city’s swell of sports magic.
Out at the born-again lake, Coyote the junk dealer has contributed three kayaks and a canoe for anyone who feels like paddling.
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Related Words
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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