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View synonyms for paddle

paddle

1

[ pad-l ]

noun

  1. 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.
  2. any of various similar implements used for mixing, stirring, or beating.
  3. 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.
  4. such an implement or a similarly shaped makeshift one, used to spank or beat someone.
  5. an implement used for beating garments while washing them in running water, as in a stream.
  6. Also called float, floatboard. a blade of a paddle wheel.
  7. any of the blades by which a water wheel is turned.
  8. a flipper or limb of a penguin, turtle, whale, etc.
  9. an act of paddling.
  10. Also pat·tle []. British Dialect. a small spade with a long handle, used to dig up thistles.
  11. (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.
  1. to propel or travel in a canoe or the like by using a paddle.
  2. to row lightly or gently with oars.
  3. to move by means of paddle wheels, as a steamer.

verb (used with object)

, pad·dled, pad·dling.
  1. to propel with a paddle:

    to paddle a canoe.

  2. to spank or beat with or as with a paddle.
  3. to stir, mix, or beat with or as with a paddle
  4. to convey by paddling, as a canoe.
  5. to hit (a table-tennis ball or the like) with a paddle.

paddle

2

[ pad-l ]

verb (used without object)

, pad·dled, pad·dling.
  1. to move the feet or hands playfully in shallow water; dabble.
  2. to toy with the fingers.
  3. to toddle.

paddle

1

/ ˈpædəl /

noun

  1. a short light oar with a flat blade at one or both ends, used without a rowlock to propel a canoe or small boat
  2. Also calledfloat a blade of a water wheel or paddle wheel
  3. a period of paddling

    to go for a paddle upstream

    1. a paddle wheel used to propel a boat
    2. ( as modifier )

      a paddle steamer

  4. the sliding panel in a lock or sluicegate that regulates the level or flow of water
  5. any of various instruments shaped like a paddle and used for beating, mixing, etc
  6. a table-tennis bat
  7. the flattened limb of a seal, turtle, or similar aquatic animal, specialized for swimming
“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

verb

  1. to propel (a canoe, small boat, etc) with a paddle
  2. paddle one's own canoe
    1. to be self-sufficient
    2. to mind one's own business
  3. tr to convey by paddling

    we paddled him to the shore

  4. tr to stir or mix with or as if with a paddle
  5. to row (a boat) steadily, esp (of a racing crew) to row firmly but not at full pressure
  6. intr (of steamships) to be propelled by paddle wheels
  7. intr to swim with short rapid strokes, like a dog
  8. informal.
    tr to spank
“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

paddle

2

/ ˈpædəl /

verb

  1. to walk or play barefoot in shallow water, mud, etc
  2. to dabble the fingers, hands, or feet in water
  3. to walk unsteadily, like a baby
  4. archaic.
    tr to fondle with the fingers
“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

noun

  1. the act of paddling in water
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈpaddler, noun
  • ˈpaddler, noun
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Other Words From

  • paddler noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of paddle1

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English noun padell “long-handled spade”; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Medieval Latin padela, padule

Origin of paddle2

First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain; perhaps from Low German paddeln “to tramp about”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of paddle1

C15: of unknown origin

Origin of paddle2

C16: of uncertain origin
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. 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) .
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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.

From BBC

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.

From BBC

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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