paddle
1a 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.
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 [pat-l, paht-l] /ˈpæt l, ˈpɑt l/ .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.
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.
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.
Idioms about paddle
paddle one's own canoe. canoe (def. 6).
Origin of paddle
1Other words from paddle
- paddler, noun
Other definitions for paddle (2 of 2)
to move the feet or hands playfully in shallow water; dabble.
to toy with the fingers.
to toddle.
Origin of paddle
2Other words from paddle
- paddler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use paddle in a sentence
As the paddlers have the sweat hosed off of them, they are either elated or dejected with the timing results.
One of the paddlers abandoned his post and slipped over the side, diving into the oily water.
Star Born | Andre NortonShe had eight thwarts, on which the paddlers sat, and a seat aft for the helmsman, who also used a paddle for steering.
In the Wilds of Florida | W.H.G. KingstonThe strong arms of the paddlers would ever and anon push the canoe square on a snag.
Mary and I | Stephen Return RiggsGodfrey counted them as he passed ahead of the fleet, and there were thirty-three canoes, each with two paddlers.
Condemned as a Nihilist | George Alfred Henty
Some carry only two people, but the canot de matre was thirty-six feet in length, and required fourteen paddlers.
The Evolution of Culture | Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers
British Dictionary definitions for paddle (1 of 2)
/ (ˈpædəl) /
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 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
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
(tr) US and Canadian informal to spank
Origin of paddle
1Derived forms of paddle
- paddler, noun
British Dictionary definitions for paddle (2 of 2)
/ (ˈpædəl) /
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
the act of paddling in water
Origin of paddle
2Derived forms of paddle
- paddler, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with paddle
In addition to the idiom beginning with paddle
- paddle one's own canoe
also see:
- up the creek (without a paddle)
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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