paddle

¹ American  

[pad-l] / ˈpæd l /

noun

• paddles
  plural

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. paddle wheel.

8. any of the blades by which a water wheel is turned.

9. a flipper or limb of a penguin, turtle, whale, etc.

10. an act of paddling.

11. British Dialect. Also pattle a small spade with a long handle, used to dig up thistles.

12. (in a gate of a lock or sluice) a panel that slides to permit the passage of water.

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verb (used without object)

paddled, paddling

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)

paddled, paddling

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.

idioms

1. paddle one's own canoe. canoe.

paddle ² American  

[pad-l] / ˈpæd l /

verb (used without object)

paddled, paddling

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

2. to toy with the fingers.

3. to toddle.

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paddle ¹ British  

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

3. a period of paddling

   to go for a paddle upstream

4. 1. a paddle wheel used to propel a boat

   2. ( as modifier )

      a paddle steamer

5. the sliding panel in a lock or sluicegate that regulates the level or flow of water

6. any of various instruments shaped like a paddle and used for beating, mixing, etc

7. a table-tennis bat

8. the flattened limb of a seal, turtle, or similar aquatic animal, specialized for swimming

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verb

1. to propel (a canoe, small boat, etc) with a paddle

2. 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

paddle ² British  

/ 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

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noun

1. the act of paddling in water

paddle More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing paddle

• up the creek (without a paddle)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• paddler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• paddles
  plural

Etymology

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”

Explanation

If you regularly ride around in a canoe, you’re undoubtedly already familiar with a paddle, a pole with a broad, flat end that is used to propel a boat forward. Nautical types will already know that the noun form of the word paddle refers to an implement with a flat blade used to move a boat through the water. The word can also be used to describe items with a similar look, such as a paddle used in table tennis or certain kinds of video games. The verb form of paddle refers to the action of navigating through the water, either in a boat using a paddle or as a swimmer who used the hands and feet to move around in shallow water.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paddle paddles paddled paddling

On Thursday, the beachside felt calm as a woman was leisurely paddle boarding in the shallows while children played on the beach.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

The regenerative braking thresholds are adjustable by way of a paddle shifter on the back of the steering wheel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

On the park's website, the authority said visitors must not enter the water at any time, which includes using kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and dinghies.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

If the Labour Party is up the creek without a paddle after last week, to revert to Yank lingo, it also finds itself in an anomalous position.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

All she had to do was paddle west, and eventually she would reach Zimbabwe.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

He has also designed boats, paddles and other waterproof products, and said he was curious about what materials had been used to paint the pool.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

German media have broadcast the hapless creature lying motionless in shallow water for hours on end, with men in diving suits splashing water on it using kayak paddles.

From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026

The beach is not one from which a surfer paddles out on his or her board, or escapes without being tossed about as if by a washing machine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

After the comedian riffs with the “patient,” the audience weighs in on the issue with green and red “thumbs up/thumbs down” paddles, often yelling out comments or directly querying the participant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026

When they arrived, the first thing Mama did was unroll the reed mats for the roof of the shelter, then the blankets, then take out new paddles and the cooking pot.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

Monitoring from the rear of the group, Paul saw something was wrong, paddled to the right-hand side of the river and left the water.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

Since dawn, he and around 20 colleagues have paddled along the riverbanks in their weathered wooden canoes.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

In 2002, a former math and science teacher and prison guard named John Darwin paddled a kayak into the North Sea from his home in Seaton Carew, England, and disappeared.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026

We chose a tandem canoe and paddled our way up and down the river, watching the wildlife and soaking up the sun.

From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026

They paddled to the side of the ship, and one of them made to take hold of the stays.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

“The current against us is strong, and we’re paddling as hard as we can,” Margolius said.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

The accident took place near the iconic Steamer Lane surf break, described by Surfer Today as the heart and soul of Santa Cruz surfing where locals have been paddling out since the 1930s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Several private schools in Ohio and Virginia permit paddling as discipline even though those states outlaw corporal punishment in public schools.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Beneath the surface, though, investors are paddling furiously to navigate shifting financial currents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

The banks were moving along, even though he wasn’t paddling.

From "The River" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• drift
• navigate
• slop
• splash
• wade