plural paddlers
: one who paddles something (such as a canoe or kayak)
One of the most rewarding sights to greet an early morning canoeist is that of a great blue heron feeding along the edge of a lake. … If the paddler is careful, he can glide close to the huge blue-gray bird …—
Ton de Joode and Anthonie Stolk
Ton de Joode and Anthonie StolkIn a freestyle competition, paddlers use small, flat-bottomed, and often blunt-ended, funky-looking white-water kayaks to perform routines for judges.—Nancy Coulter-Parker
Nancy Coulter-Parker
Examples of paddler in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Streams are usually deserted in the fall, but the gravel bars were full of paddlers enjoying overnight float trips on the Buffalo National River on Oct. 20-21.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2023
Rink and Gair were on one of the official race vessels, weaving slowly through the pack to help track down stray paddlers and keep tabs on who was still in the competition.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023
Undeterred, the paddlers proceeded west, eventually reaching Great South Bay, and paused at Fox Island, where a bolt of lightning struck the ground less than a mile from where they were huddled, beneath the canoe’s hull.
—Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
Climbers have hundreds of steep routes; and paddlers have the entire Mediterranean Sea off their bows.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 18 Apr. 2023
After the fires, paddlers frantically tried calling each other.
—Elahe Izadi, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Sep. 2023
At one point, Rink was shouting encouragement to some paddlers from his perch on the front of the boat while the race photographer was hanging off the back, puking.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023
Teams can also register up to four substitute paddlers in addition to their 21, for a total of 25 registrants.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 19 July 2023
The noncompetitive paddle is open to swimmers and paddlers in all kinds of watercraft ranging from surfboards and stand-up paddleboards to kayaks.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2023
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Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2023
Rink and Gair were on one of the official race vessels, weaving slowly through the pack to help track down stray paddlers and keep tabs on who was still in the competition.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023
Undeterred, the paddlers proceeded west, eventually reaching Great South Bay, and paused at Fox Island, where a bolt of lightning struck the ground less than a mile from where they were huddled, beneath the canoe’s hull.
—Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
Climbers have hundreds of steep routes; and paddlers have the entire Mediterranean Sea off their bows.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 18 Apr. 2023
After the fires, paddlers frantically tried calling each other.
—Elahe Izadi, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Sep. 2023
At one point, Rink was shouting encouragement to some paddlers from his perch on the front of the boat while the race photographer was hanging off the back, puking.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023
Teams can also register up to four substitute paddlers in addition to their 21, for a total of 25 registrants.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 19 July 2023
The noncompetitive paddle is open to swimmers and paddlers in all kinds of watercraft ranging from surfboards and stand-up paddleboards to kayaks.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paddler.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1611, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near paddler
Cite this Entry
“Paddler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paddler. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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