paddles

verb

present tense third-person singular of paddle
1
as in rows
to move a boat by means of oars I like to paddle on the river for exercise and relaxation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for paddles
  1. rows
  2. licks
  3. whips
  4. pounds
  5. lashes
  6. hides
  7. pelts
  8. beats
Verb
  • After kidnapping Sam, Borden rows away from shore and raises a shotgun to his chin.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
  • Santorini’s traditional kouloura vines are not trained upward like the vineyard rows many travelers know.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of rows
Verb
  • Food stands also debuted that year, with ribs sizzling along with the blues licks.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 9 June 2026
  • At one point in a dinner scene, Shields' Erika licks Joey's fingers.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
Definition of licks
Verb
  • Instead of floating crosses in, Saka either whips his deliveries low near the six-yard box or works a slightly more central position to cut the ball back with a firmer connection.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • The vessel bends, blocks, and whips the wind into complex micro-currents before the air ever hits the sails.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026
Definition of whips
Verb
  • The first murder is a girl slicing into her slumbering mother’s neck with a hacksaw; then her brother pounds his father’s face in with a baseball bat.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Back from a hamstring injury, Teoscar Hernández rejoins a relentless Dodgers offense that pounds 17 hits and three homers in a 9-4 win over the Athletics.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of pounds
Verb
  • Ukrainian officials have warned residents to guard against further strikes as Russia lashes out.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 2 July 2026
  • Continue reading … SEISMIC SUPPORT — AOC lashes out at Trump for 'betrayal' of voters after key SCOTUS immigration ruling.
    — , FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of lashes
Verb
  • Yet the secondhand market often hides real bargains for those willing to hunt them down.
    — Damian Peach, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • As recalled in the book, a group of outlaws hides out in the town of Derry while fleeing the FBI, robbing and murdering store owners and causing all-around chaos.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of hides
Verb
  • Not so much because Paul puts on-again, off-again partner Dakota Mortensen into a headlock and then pelts him with metal bar stools — sadly, this is a scene that would not be out of place on many reality shows — but because a small child is in the room.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Definition of pelts
Verb
  • The compilation beats Sonic Boom, which brought Kiss to the ranking for the first time in October 2009.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Ballistic stretching beats static stretching for court sports, according to Jim Hsu, MD, a Yale Medicine orthopedic surgeon quoted by Yale New Haven Health.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of beats
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.

Browse Nearby Words

paddled
paddles
paddling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Paddles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paddles. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on paddles

Nglish: Translation of paddles for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of anecdote

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All