paddock

¹ American  

[pad-uhk] / ˈpæd ək /

noun

1. a small, usually enclosed field near a stable or barn for pasturing or exercising animals.

2. the enclosure in which horses are saddled and mounted before a race.

3. Australian. any enclosed field or pasture.

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verb (used with object)

1. to confine or enclose in or as in a paddock.

paddock ² American  

[pad-uhk] / ˈpæd ək /

noun

1. Archaic. a frog or toad.

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paddock ¹ British  

/ ˈpædək /

noun

1. a small enclosed field, often for grazing or training horses, usually near a house or stable

2. (in horse racing) the enclosure in which horses are paraded and mounted before a race, together with the accompanying rooms

3. (in motor racing) an area near the pits where cars are worked on before races

4. any area of fenced land

5. a playing field

6. informal a stockroute or roadside area offering feed to sheep and cattle in dry times

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verb

1. (tr) to confine (horses, etc) in a paddock

paddock ² British  

/ ˈpædək /

noun

1. Also called (Scot): puddock.  archaic a frog or toad

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Etymology

Origin of paddock¹

1540–50; variant of Middle English parrok, with r heard as flapped d; Old English pearroc enclosure, originally fence. See park

Origin of paddock²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English paddok(e), derivative of early Middle English pad “toad” (compare English dialectal pad “frog”); akin to Dutch, Low German pad, Old Norse padda; -ock

Explanation

A paddock is an area that holds racehorses before a race. Jockeys get the horses ready to go in the paddock. If you've ever gone to a horse race, or seen a race like the Kentucky Derby on TV, you've seen a paddock. This is the pen for the horses, where they hang out before racing. In the paddock, horses are saddled and paraded around by their jockeys. Two other meanings of paddock are related: one is a field for horses on a farm, and the other is an area for race cars to prepare before a race.

Example Sentences

He took his cockerpoo, Gulliver, for a walk in a paddock that was part of the stables, and because it was dark he used a torch.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Russell's pole position - 0.8 seconds clear of the fastest non-Mercedes car - had sent shockwaves through the paddock on Saturday but the race was initially much closer than qualifying.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

One theory on the F1 paddock was that Mercedes had discovered a hack with regard to engine compression ratios, a technical spec that ultimately affects engine horsepower.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

Open the history annuls and you'll find celebrities and WAGs - the wives and girlfriends of drivers - visible in the paddock for decades.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Beneath the hill was the bailey, with its stables, paddock, smithy, well, and sheepfold, defended by a deep ditch, a sloping earthen dike, and a palisade of logs.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• oval
• track