paddled

verb

past tense of paddle
1
as in rowed
to move a boat by means of oars I like to paddle on the river for exercise and relaxation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in licked
to strike repeatedly back in those times it was acceptable for teachers to paddle misbehaving students

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of paddled Some customers paddled by on rafts and boards, above what used to be the boardwalk. — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026 On this warm, October day, five murres paddled around the pool — waiting for a technician to drop a bucket of smelt into the water. — Stephanie Zappelli, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Kevin Burns and his friend, who Barbera did not identify, had paddled about half a mile offshore to a reef, secured their boards and got into the water to snorkel, Burns’ friend told deputies. — Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 17 Aug. 2026 The summer after the country celebrated its 200th birthday, David Hearn paddled a canoe nicknamed the Queen Mary around the Reflecting Pool as part of an event intended to draw attention to a sport that would later lead him to Olympic glory. — Matt Viser, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026 Charlie and Dolly hopped on board as their dad paddled them along this gorgeous surf. — Alexandra Schonfeld, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026 Mystery illnesses have struck several groups of Grand Canyon rafters who paddled the Colorado River, prompting the National Park Service to investigate whether something in or along the river is making people sick. — Evan Bush, NBC news, 9 July 2026 On the coast, the quirky tradition that is the Hermosa Beach Ironman returned, too, as dozens of people ran, paddled and drank a six pack of suds. — Daily News, 4 July 2026 Some shaggy buffalo drowsed in a patch of shade, and a hose fed water into a large puddle where a white goose paddled in tight circles. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paddled
  1. rowed
  2. licked
  3. lashed
  4. pounded
  5. whipped
  6. pelted
  7. battered
  8. slapped
Verb
  • Reënactors dressed as British soldiers got in a dory and rowed from the schooner to the beach’s edge.
    — Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • When the first Women’s Boat Race was held in 1927, the Oxford and Cambridge crews were not permitted to compete directly against each other, so each team rowed separate races and were assessed on both style and speed.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of rowed
Verb
  • Unfortunately for us, those tenants have evolved a sticky knack for evading eviction, creating a webbing known as biofilm that prevents them from being easily licked or swallowed away.
    — Mike McRae, New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Meanwhile, as hip-house took hold Stateside, those who had licked a new sonic language weren’t going to sit a profitable wave out.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of licked
Verb
  • Europe is looking for alternative sources of energy after turning its back on Russian oil and gas following Moscow's full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022, while consumers are being lashed by rocketing fuel prices compounded by the Iran war.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Trump lashed out at Pirro over the admission and has continued to claim vandals were to blame.
    — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of lashed
Verb
  • Rain pounded the region on Sunday, and one of the pilots reported icing conditions at a high altitude in communications with air traffic control.
    — David Fischer, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Rain pounded the region on Sunday, and one of the pilots told air traffic control about icing conditions at a high altitude.
    — David Fischer, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of pounded
Verb
  • The Falcons’ starting quarterback twirled a black string around his finger, then violently whipped it down after his first interception.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Brown became the leader of the House Trade Working Group, a caucus of Democratic representatives opposed to free-trade agreements who whipped votes on those deals.
    — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of whipped
Verb
  • Rain is most likely to hit in the afternoon, Garcia said, unlike over the weekend when rain pelted the region for hours.
    — Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • All of them got here by giant impacts that have pelted Mars for eons, occasionally blasting bits of the planet into space, some of which by chance fall to Earth.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of pelted
Verb
  • Famous for viral stunts that often leave him bruised, battered, or, in at least one instance, hospitalized, Peters has faced a slew of legal battles while documenting his physical transformation for his more than 2 million followers.
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Officials haven’t determined how the sinkhole was formed, but it was likely caused by the unusually strong Hurricane Marie that battered California in early September.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of battered
Verb
  • The attacker slapped the woman on the buttocks on Bedford and Willoughby Aves.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • As Los Angeles became more crowded and less pleasant a place to live, the high-handedness of Southern California developers and officialdom occasionally got those hands slapped.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of slapped

Browse Nearby Words

paddleboats
paddled
paddles
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Cite this Entry

“Paddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paddled. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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