paddle
1 Americannoun
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paddles
plural
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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.
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any of various similar implements used for mixing, stirring, or beating.
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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.
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such an implement or a similarly shaped makeshift one, used to spank or beat someone.
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an implement used for beating garments while washing them in running water, as in a stream.
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Also called float, floatboard. a blade of a paddle wheel.
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any of the blades by which a water wheel is turned.
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a flipper or limb of a penguin, turtle, whale, etc.
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an act of paddling.
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British Dialect. Also pattle a small spade with a long handle, used to dig up thistles.
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(in a gate of a lock or sluice) a panel that slides to permit the passage of water.
verb (used without object)
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to propel or travel in a canoe or the like by using a paddle.
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to row lightly or gently with oars.
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to move by means of paddle wheels, as a steamer.
verb (used with object)
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to propel with a paddle.
to paddle a canoe.
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to spank or beat with or as with a paddle.
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to stir, mix, or beat with or as with a paddle
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to convey by paddling, as a canoe.
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to hit (a table-tennis ball or the like) with a paddle.
idioms
verb (used without object)
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to move the feet or hands playfully in shallow water; dabble.
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to toy with the fingers.
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to toddle.
noun
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a short light oar with a flat blade at one or both ends, used without a rowlock to propel a canoe or small boat
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Also called: float. a blade of a water wheel or paddle wheel
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a period of paddling
to go for a paddle upstream
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a paddle wheel used to propel a boat
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( as modifier )
a paddle steamer
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the sliding panel in a lock or sluicegate that regulates the level or flow of water
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any of various instruments shaped like a paddle and used for beating, mixing, etc
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a table-tennis bat
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the flattened limb of a seal, turtle, or similar aquatic animal, specialized for swimming
verb
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to propel (a canoe, small boat, etc) with a paddle
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to be self-sufficient
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to mind one's own business
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(tr) to convey by paddling
we paddled him to the shore
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(tr) to stir or mix with or as if with a paddle
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to row (a boat) steadily, esp (of a racing crew) to row firmly but not at full pressure
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(intr) (of steamships) to be propelled by paddle wheels
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(intr) to swim with short rapid strokes, like a dog
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informal (tr) to spank
verb
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to walk or play barefoot in shallow water, mud, etc
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to dabble the fingers, hands, or feet in water
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to walk unsteadily, like a baby
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archaic (tr) to fondle with the fingers
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing paddle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In the early 1980s, he converted the paddle tennis court into a studio.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
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
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
“Oh sure,” Florida said, dipping her paddle slowly into the water.
From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech
Griffin added it was sad to see closures for a second summer running, but she stopped short of blaming maintenance issues alone, pointing to boaters who had hit gates or left lock paddles open.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 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
When it finally ended — I can’t remember who won — we just stood there, paddles lowered, breathing hard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
Neither did Mazda abandon conventional switches, rotary knobs and paddles even as other companies were converting to capacitive and haptic controls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Air-postmen glide about in open-top dirigibles with hooks and paddles to help guide the balloons along.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Since dawn, he and around 20 colleagues have paddled along the riverbanks in their weathered wooden canoes.
From Barron's ● May 20, 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
Hundreds of swimmers and surfers paddled out at Bondi beach yesterday to create a giant circle to pay tribute to the victims of the attack.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025
Exploiting a series of portages linking Lake Michigan and local rivers, they paddled their canoes from Canada’s Atlantic shore to the Gulf of Mexico and as far west as the Rocky Mountains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
Kendra paddled furiously, but it did no good.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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
The firm partially put this down to more water being used for activities including watering gardens and filling paddling pools.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
While Arlo loves running around his little jungle, they made sure there is still space for his paddling pool at the bottom of the garden.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
“When you have great coverage, you can relax a little bit. That’s what it feels like now, there’s so many people paddling in the boat with me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
Malcolm looked all around while paddling as steadily as he could.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
