as in stretched
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as in exaggerated
to add to the interest of by including made-up details
the journalist was fired for padding certain stories to make them more interesting
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Recent Examples of padded
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
The padded interior absorbs shock and reduces movement during storage or transport.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
The drill involves recruits elevating their heart rates through calisthenics and then simulating hand-to-hand combat with a physically aggressive suspect while wearing a padded suit for protection.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
Choose one with a padded laptop sleeve for your tablet or e-reader loaded with scripts, episode guides, or location maps.
—Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Mar. 2026
While The North Face’s version remains my personal favorite, there are plenty of padded, insulated slipper styles across price points worth considering—I’ve rounded up the best ones below.
—Iman Balagam, InStyle, 16 Mar. 2026
Choose one with a padded laptop sleeve for your tablet or e-reader loaded with scripts, episode guides, or location maps.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Packed separately from the mouse and its round container, in a big, padded black box, the shadowbox-style commemorative frame measures just about 14 by 20 inches.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 14 Mar. 2026
The removable padded cups give a little extra lift while keeping everything comfortable, and the bottoms offer just the right amount of coverage.
—Jacquelyn Smith, Parents, 11 Mar. 2026
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
Manning padded his on-field earnings with an unmatched endorsement portfolio as the NFL’s most marketable player for more than a decade.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 24 Mar. 2026
The Ducks broke a 2-2 tie and then padded their lead, finding themselves up two goals after 40 minutes.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
In between, the actress also padded her résumé with various parody films.
—Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
Bags include a maxi tote and padded backpack with laptop pocket.
—Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026
And fortunately for Payton, Paton and company, this early 2026 draft class is padded with strengths in areas where the Broncos could stand to grow.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Feb. 2026
This is an extremely long two-hour movie, padded out by an overstuffed ensemble.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026
The liner and ear pads attach with snaps for durability, the ear pads have padded borders for comfort, and adjustable goggle vents help reduce fog.
—Adam Trenkamp, Outside, 16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
In the summer of 2018, early in the first padded scrimmage of their freshman years at Alabama, Surtain (running with the 1s) matched up with Waddle (running with the 2s) in the slot.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
The padded interior absorbs shock and reduces movement during storage or transport.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
The drill involves recruits elevating their heart rates through calisthenics and then simulating hand-to-hand combat with a physically aggressive suspect while wearing a padded suit for protection.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
Choose one with a padded laptop sleeve for your tablet or e-reader loaded with scripts, episode guides, or location maps.
—Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Mar. 2026
While The North Face’s version remains my personal favorite, there are plenty of padded, insulated slipper styles across price points worth considering—I’ve rounded up the best ones below.
—Iman Balagam, InStyle, 16 Mar. 2026
Choose one with a padded laptop sleeve for your tablet or e-reader loaded with scripts, episode guides, or location maps.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Packed separately from the mouse and its round container, in a big, padded black box, the shadowbox-style commemorative frame measures just about 14 by 20 inches.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 14 Mar. 2026
The removable padded cups give a little extra lift while keeping everything comfortable, and the bottoms offer just the right amount of coverage.
—Jacquelyn Smith, Parents, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
Adapted by Nesbo from his fifth Harry Hole mystery (The Snowman was the seventh), Detective Hole is padded by several episodes, and the finale arrives at a conclusion that is somewhere between illogical and wholly ludicrous.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
Manning padded his on-field earnings with an unmatched endorsement portfolio as the NFL’s most marketable player for more than a decade.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 24 Mar. 2026
The Ducks broke a 2-2 tie and then padded their lead, finding themselves up two goals after 40 minutes.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
In between, the actress also padded her résumé with various parody films.
—Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
Bags include a maxi tote and padded backpack with laptop pocket.
—Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026
And fortunately for Payton, Paton and company, this early 2026 draft class is padded with strengths in areas where the Broncos could stand to grow.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Feb. 2026
This is an extremely long two-hour movie, padded out by an overstuffed ensemble.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026
The liner and ear pads attach with snaps for durability, the ear pads have padded borders for comfort, and adjustable goggle vents help reduce fog.
—Adam Trenkamp, Outside, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for padded
Adjective
-
Once activated, the Fe-SMA bars aim to shrink back to their pre-stretched shape.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
-
It’s formulated with calcium to promote new cell growth, adenosine to fill in wrinkles, collagen to maintain your skin’s density and thickness, elastin to restore stretched skin, and Vitamin D for rejuvenation.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Snag Loft’s whimsical embroidered floral option on sale that celebrates spring blooms, or embrace vintage edge with this boyfriend-cut Levi’s 90s Trucker Jacket.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Rose Byrne stunned in a strapless black mermaid Dior gown that featured delicate embroidered floral appliqués with shimmering beadwork running diagonally across the bodice and down the skirt, which flowed into a train.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In the enlarged vision of the classics slowly taking shape in the American academy, Yanxiao has found an intellectual foothold.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Maddix was born by emergency C-section with an enlarged heart that was causing a laundry list of other medical problems.—
Libby Smith,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Qajar-dynasty kitsch—kings with walrus mustaches and embellished turbans, women with unibrows in tunics—became ubiquitous as a motif in contemporary art, on the walls of cafés, on teapots.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
For men, Mishal carries kurta pajamas, a knee-length tunic outfit, along with embellished waistcoats to elevate the look.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Investigators laid out a pattern of inaccurate and incomplete campaign finance reports across several election cycles, including improper contributions falsely reported as personal loans, acceptance of improper contributions and inflated cash-on-hand numbers.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Some of the exclusive merchandise has already appeared on eBay at inflated prices.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Prosecutors warned that the statute encouraged exaggerated or bad-faith claims that would be difficult to disprove years after the fact.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
-
This means giving up the exalted and exaggerated idea of the West that boosts a masculinist self-image but severely constricts thought and feeling.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The da Vinci system gives surgeons a magnified view and robotic hands that never shake, enabling very precise surgical maneuvers.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 July 2022
Adjective
-
Carmakers registered $65 billion in write-offs globally as companies were forced to overhaul their EV investments, squeezed by a pivot in US climate policy and an overstated enthusiasm for the green transition.—
Natasha Bracken,
semafor.com,
17 Feb. 2026
-
For the Fed, which was raising interest rates in 2023 and 2024, this meant that policy decisions may have been based on an overstated view of economic strength.—
Jeff Gapusan,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Padded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/padded. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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