paddock
1 Americannoun
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a small, usually enclosed field near a stable or barn for pasturing or exercising animals.
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the enclosure in which horses are saddled and mounted before a race.
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Australian. any enclosed field or pasture.
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
-
a small enclosed field, often for grazing or training horses, usually near a house or stable
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(in horse racing) the enclosure in which horses are paraded and mounted before a race, together with the accompanying rooms
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(in motor racing) an area near the pits where cars are worked on before races
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any area of fenced land
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a playing field
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informal a stockroute or roadside area offering feed to sheep and cattle in dry times
verb
noun
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; see -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.
Vocabulary lists containing paddock
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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.
The Vienna native had already made a fortune as a tech investor before he set foot on a Formula One paddock.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Porsche Carrera Cup autograph session, Porsche Carrera Cup paddock, main expo hall; 12:05-1 p.m.,
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
He took his cockerpoo Gulliver for a walk in a paddock that was part of the stables, and because it was dark was using a torch.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 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
He placed it in the middle of a paddock where his cattle had been three days ear- Her.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
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.
