paddle

[ pad-l ]

/ ˈpæd l /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR paddle ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Also called float, floatboard. a blade of a paddle wheel.

paddle wheel.

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 pattle. 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), pad·dled, pad·dling.

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), pad·dled, pad·dling.

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.

Nearby words

Idioms

paddle one's own canoe. canoe(def 6).

Origin of paddle

1375–1425; late Middle English padell (noun)

Related formspad·dler, noun

paddle

[ pad-l ]

/ ˈpæd l /

verb (used without object), pad·dled, pad·dling.

to move the feet or hands playfully in shallow water; dabble.

to toy with the fingers.

to toddle.

Origin of paddle

First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain

Related formspad·dler, noun

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

Examples from the Web for paddle

Ever obliging, Springsteen then flexed all the right things on a paddle board.
Bruce Springsteen’s Bond Moment: The Boss’ Body Beautiful at 64|Tim Teeman|July 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His paddle had “FAH-Q” painted on one side, and “O.B./Badass” painted on the other.
‘Dazed and Confused’ 20th Anniversary: 20 Craziest Facts About the Cult Classic|Marlow Stern|September 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I have good balance, but it was basically the first time I had ever been on a paddle board.
Off the Hook: Eric Young’s Craziest Shark Catches (Video)|Anna Klassen|August 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
What do you call it when a husband beats his wife with a paddle for disobeying him?
Spanking for Jesus: Inside the Unholy World of ‘Christian Domestic Discipline’|Brandy Zadrozny|June 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

There are no brick-and-mortar churches where adherents gather to pray and paddle.
Spanking for Jesus: Inside the Unholy World of ‘Christian Domestic Discipline’|Brandy Zadrozny|June 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
With one powerful sweep of his paddle he can instantly turn the canoe, when only a foot distant from fatal destruction.
A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe on Rivers and Lakes of Europe|John Macgregor
I wanted to paddle harder all the time but Pop here wouldnt let me.
The Go Ahead Boys in the Island Camp|Ross Kay
The paddle dipped on silently and evenly in the still water, but the sound grew fainter.
The House of a Thousand Candles|Meredith Nicholson
With very little rest beside, I continued to paddle on till it was again dark.
Dick Cheveley|W. H. G. Kingston
Paddle wheels are sometimes provided with cast iron floats to act as counterweights to some unbalanced part of the engine.
Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II|Joshua Rose

British Dictionary definitions for paddle

paddle

/ (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 called: float a blade of a water wheel or paddle wheel

a period of paddlingto 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 paddlingwe 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

(tr) US and Canadian informal to spank

Derived Formspaddler, noun

Word Origin for paddle

C15: of unknown origin

verb (mainly intr)

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

(tr) archaic to fondle with the fingers

noun

the act of paddling in water

Derived Formspaddler, noun

Word Origin for paddle

C16: of uncertain origin

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

Word Origin and History for paddle

paddle

c.1400, padell "small spade," from Medieval Latin padela, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Latin patella "small pan, little dish, plate," diminutive of patina (see pan (n.)).

Meaning "short oar with a wide blade" is from 1620s. As an instrument used for beating clothes (and slaves, and schoolboys), it is recorded from 1828, American English. Paddle-ball attested from 1935.

paddle

v.1

"to dabble, wade in water," 1520s, probably cognate with Low German paddeln "tramp about," frequentative of padjen "to tramp, to run in short steps," from pad (v.). Related: Paddled; paddling. Meaning "to move in water by means of paddles" is a different word (see paddle (v.3)).

v.2

"to beat with a paddle, spank," 1856, from paddle (n.). Related: Paddled; paddling.

v.3

"to move in water by means of paddles," 1670s, from paddle (n.). To paddle one's (own) canoe "do for oneself" is from 1828.

Idioms and Phrases with paddle

paddle

In addition to the idiom beginning with paddle

paddle one's own canoe

also see:

up the creek (without a paddle)

paddle

noun

verb (used without object), pad·dled, pad·dling.

verb (used with object), pad·dled, pad·dling.

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of paddle

paddle

verb (used without object), pad·dled, pad·dling.

Origin of paddle

Examples from the Web for paddle

paddle

noun

verb

Word Origin for paddle

verb (mainly intr)

noun

Word Origin for paddle

paddle

paddle

paddle