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as in licked
to strike repeatedly
back in those times it was acceptable for teachers to paddle misbehaving students
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paddled
The lanky 73-year-old paddled the river five days in a row in late March, guiding vacationing couples, families and university students, many of them on their first run of the Rio Grande.
—
Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
The participants heard remarks from co-organizers Patti O’Cronin and Kristen French, ate fruit provided by Just Peachy in Encinitas — whose owners once were detained and released by ICE — and paddled into the water as a group.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Benjamin was a resident of Post Falls, Idaho, who DeKalb said was an experienced boater who had paddled many rivers in Idaho and run the Grand Canyon before.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 23 Feb. 2026
Young kids paddled near the shallow edges and bigger kids jumped off the cliffs above the swimming hole, causing the adults to gasp and scold.
—Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
Video showed one of the rescuers swimming out to Phoenix, who paddled toward the man.
—Riley Rourke, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
As a tragic week ended, thousands swam and paddled on boards off the coast of Bondi as the community came together to heal.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Dec. 2025
No death-defying rapids here on this lazy, looping stretch easily paddled by families in canoes.
—Stephen Trimble, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
The girl’s mom got into a kayak, paddled out to the sinking canoe and rescued her daughter, but her boyfriend went underwater, deputies said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
The participants heard remarks from co-organizers Patti O’Cronin and Kristen French, ate fruit provided by Just Peachy in Encinitas — whose owners once were detained and released by ICE — and paddled into the water as a group.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Benjamin was a resident of Post Falls, Idaho, who DeKalb said was an experienced boater who had paddled many rivers in Idaho and run the Grand Canyon before.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 23 Feb. 2026
Young kids paddled near the shallow edges and bigger kids jumped off the cliffs above the swimming hole, causing the adults to gasp and scold.
—Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
Video showed one of the rescuers swimming out to Phoenix, who paddled toward the man.
—Riley Rourke, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
As a tragic week ended, thousands swam and paddled on boards off the coast of Bondi as the community came together to heal.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Dec. 2025
No death-defying rapids here on this lazy, looping stretch easily paddled by families in canoes.
—Stephen Trimble, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
The girl’s mom got into a kayak, paddled out to the sinking canoe and rescued her daughter, but her boyfriend went underwater, deputies said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paddled
Verb
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The DinghyGo takes a versatility-first approach, offering a 3-in-1 inflatable that can be sailed, rowed, or fitted with an outboard motor, with models offering capacity for up to six passengers.—
Omar Kardoudi
March 13,
New Atlas,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Some men who were fishing nearby saw the situation and rowed out to help.—
Delbert L. Chears,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Rumor has it the fashion crowd licked the shelves clean in Paris as soon as the first designs hit stores.—
Christina Holevas,
Vogue,
26 Mar. 2026
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Of course, the flue was closed, so the fire licked up the walls, left a smell like the fall, like ancient smokehouses and dung.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Trump has repeatedly lashed out at allies for refusing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz; the UK is hosting talks with dozens of nations Thursday aimed at forming a coalition focused on that goal.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
2 Apr. 2026
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After Cooke lashed out verbally, Wilson intervened and later comforted Batula in a conversation picked up by their microphones.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Old timers can recall when clockwork storms pounded in the summer and drizzled in the winter.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The fort stood high above the river, where fearsome artillery was able to turn back the Union gunboats that had pounded low-lying Fort Henry into submission.—
Bill Steiden,
Des Moines Register,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For 10 minutes, Boyd took in the scene as the flags whipped above the center-field scoreboard, Cubs infielders took grounders and stadium workers finished final preparations before 39,712 fans streamed into the ballpark.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
This pizza has soppressata, whipped ricotta and drizzles of hot honey.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Dallas pelted Gustavsson during the man advantage, but Minnesota got a high-danger scoring chance as well, only to see Oettinger stuff Nico Sturm on a shorthanded rush to the net.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
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The ball was pelted to left field at over 400 feet, and their patented celebration ensued.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Gulf War left Saddam Hussein in power, but weakened and dangerous, a source of regional instability for another decade—a pattern that some fear might be playing out in Iran, if the regime emerges from the war battered but no less entrenched.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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But Ukraine’s drone attacks are also forcing Moscow to deprioritize some exports and protect consumers, who have been battered by high inflation.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Delhi skipper Axar Patel got the breakthrough when Sharma slapped him to cover and Nitish Rana took a tough chance above his head in the 10th over.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Andrej, wearing a backward Final Four cap, slapped his dad’s hand, went in for a hug and listened as his dad said a few words, both breaking into big smiles.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paddled. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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