1
a
: a thin flat mat or cushion: such as
(1)
: a guard worn to shield body parts against impact
(2)
(3)
: padding used to shape an article of clothing
(4)
: a piece of usually folded absorbent material (such as gauze) used as a surgical dressing or protective covering
(5)
: a component of certain brake systems (such as disc brakes) consisting of a plate covered with a frictional material
(6)
: a piece of soft stuffed material used as or under a saddle
b
: a piece of material saturated with ink for inking the surface of a rubber stamp
2
: a collection of sheets of paper glued or fastened together at one end
3
a
: the cushioned thickening of the underside of the toes of an animal
b
: the foot of an animal
4
a
: living quarters
b
: bed
5
a(1)
: an area used for helicopter takeoffs and landings
(2)
: a section of an airstrip used for warm-ups or turnarounds
b
c
: a horizontal concrete surface (as for parking a mobile home)
6
a
: a floating leaf of a water plant
b
: the flattened, fleshy, paddle-shaped stem segment of a cactus (such as a prickly pear)
padded; padding
2
: to expand or increase especially with needless, misleading, or fraudulent matter
pad the sales figures
—often used with outthey pad out their bibliographies—
J. P. Kenyon
J. P. Kenyon
padded; padding
: to traverse on foot
: to go on foot : walk
especially
: to walk with or as if with padded feet
the dog padded along beside him
padding around in bedroom slippers
: a soft muffled or slapping sound
Synonyms
Noun (1)
Verb (1)
Verb (2)
Examples of pad in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebRachel Cormack, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
This splash pad has more than 2,300 five-star reviews on Amazon, most of which are from happy parents and caregivers.
—Laura Lu, Parents, 15 Apr. 2024
Big-ticket items like an exercise bike will cost you a little less right now, along with space-saving equipment like a walking pad.
—Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 15 Apr. 2024
What's more, the air chambers are oriented head-to-toe, so the pad becomes slightly wider when weighted.
—Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2024
The Granola Gear marketplace includes everything from trekking poles and sleeping pads to climbing shoes and jackets, all gently used, inspected and ready for a new home.
—Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
His Airness’ new pad, built in 2017, includes a four-car garage, vaulted ceilings, summer kitchen, pool, heated spa, guest house and lake views.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
In the third period with the Sharks killing an interference penalty to Burroughs and the Kraken threatening, Cooley stopped a shot by Jared McCann, then stuck out his right pad to prevent Jaden Schwartz from scoring off the rebound.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
The biggest flaw with this system were the seed pads.
—Rachel Ahrnsen, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2024
Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
The song reigns with 6.7 million audience impressions, a boost of 15%, March 22-28, according to Luminate.
Green Day pads its position for the second-most toppers in the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart’s nearly 15-year history.
—Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
To grow wages, the D.C. Council in 2021 approved a tax increase on the city’s wealthiest residents to pad the pay equity fund.
—Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
Jil Sander Origami padded snake-effect leather clutch Khaite Bobbi bag
Bottega Veneta
mini Jodi python top-handle bag
Loewe
Flamenco python clutch bag
J.Crew
Berkeley bucket bag
Jacquemus
Le Chiquito Long snake-effect leather shoulder bag
The Bucket List
Bucket bags are back, baby!
—Madeline Fass, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024
The seating has padded cushions and the matching table features a wicker base and a glass top.
—Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
Because of its large size (47 x 47 inches), it can be used for more than tummy time and padding the stroller.
—Phoebe Sklansky, Parents, 4 Apr. 2024
Donald Trump’s hopes of padding out his Irish golf course with new amenities including a pickleball court have met opposition from one of the former president’s older, smaller rivals: a 2mm whorl snail.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 4 Apr. 2024
And hey, if Mom’s lucky, maybe another caregiver will help pad the piggy bank so the kids can afford a little bit more.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
To the aft lies a large sun pad and a bathing area with a ladder to the ocean, while a helm station with a large touchscreen sits forward.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
This splash pad has more than 2,300 five-star reviews on Amazon, most of which are from happy parents and caregivers.
—Laura Lu, Parents, 15 Apr. 2024
Big-ticket items like an exercise bike will cost you a little less right now, along with space-saving equipment like a walking pad.
—Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 15 Apr. 2024
What's more, the air chambers are oriented head-to-toe, so the pad becomes slightly wider when weighted.
—Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2024
The Granola Gear marketplace includes everything from trekking poles and sleeping pads to climbing shoes and jackets, all gently used, inspected and ready for a new home.
—Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
His Airness’ new pad, built in 2017, includes a four-car garage, vaulted ceilings, summer kitchen, pool, heated spa, guest house and lake views.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
In the third period with the Sharks killing an interference penalty to Burroughs and the Kraken threatening, Cooley stopped a shot by Jared McCann, then stuck out his right pad to prevent Jaden Schwartz from scoring off the rebound.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
The biggest flaw with this system were the seed pads.
—Rachel Ahrnsen, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2024
Verb
In fact, the whole front of the bag is padded with a puffer jacket-like casing that not only looks trendy and unique but also helps protect the suitcase from impact.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
The song reigns with 6.7 million audience impressions, a boost of 15%, March 22-28, according to Luminate.
Green Day pads its position for the second-most toppers in the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart’s nearly 15-year history.
—Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
To grow wages, the D.C. Council in 2021 approved a tax increase on the city’s wealthiest residents to pad the pay equity fund.
—Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
Jil Sander Origami padded snake-effect leather clutch Khaite Bobbi bag
Bottega Veneta
mini Jodi python top-handle bag
Loewe
Flamenco python clutch bag
J.Crew
Berkeley bucket bag
Jacquemus
Le Chiquito Long snake-effect leather shoulder bag
The Bucket List
Bucket bags are back, baby!
—Madeline Fass, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024
The seating has padded cushions and the matching table features a wicker base and a glass top.
—Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
Because of its large size (47 x 47 inches), it can be used for more than tummy time and padding the stroller.
—Phoebe Sklansky, Parents, 4 Apr. 2024
Donald Trump’s hopes of padding out his Irish golf course with new amenities including a pickleball court have met opposition from one of the former president’s older, smaller rivals: a 2mm whorl snail.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 4 Apr. 2024
And hey, if Mom’s lucky, maybe another caregiver will help pad the piggy bank so the kids can afford a little bit more.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pad.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to pad
Dictionary Entries Near pad
Cite this Entry
“Pad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pad. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pad
2 of 4 noun1
a
: a thin flat mat or cushion
b
: a guard worn to shield body parts against impact
c
: a piece of usually folded absorbent material (as gauze)
d
: a piece of material that holds ink for inking a rubber stamp
2
a
: the hairy foot of some mammals (as a fox or hare)
b
: the soft thickening of the underside of the foot or toes of some mammals (as dogs)
3
: a floating leaf of a water plant
4
: a number of sheets of writing paper glued together at one edge
5
6
a
: living quarters : home
pad
3 of 4 verb
padded; padding
1
: to furnish with a pad or padding
2
: to expand with unnecessary or unimportant material
pad a speech
pad
4 of 4 noun
: a soft muffled or slapping sound
Etymology
Verb
probably from early Dutch paden "to follow a path"
Noun
origin unknown
Medical Definition
pad
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a usually square or rectangular piece of often folded typically absorbent material (as gauze) fixed in place over some part of the body as a dressing or other protective covering
b
2
: a part of the body or of an appendage that resembles or is suggestive of a cushion : a thick fleshy resilient part: as
a
: the sole of the foot or underside of the toes of an animal (as a dog) that is typically thickened so as to form a cushion
b
: the underside of the extremities of the fingers
especially
: the ball of the thumb
PAD
2 of 2 abbreviation
peripheral arterial disease
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