pads 1 of 3

plural of pad
1
as in notebooks
a number of sheets of writing paper glued together at one edge the waitress keeps a pad in the pocket of her apron to write down orders

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
3
as in buffers
something that serves as a protective barrier a pad on the chair to keep it from getting scratched

Synonyms & Similar Words

4

pads

2 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of pad

pads

3 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of pad

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 pads
Noun
Most of the drone factories have been knocked out, most of the launching pads have been knocked out and most of the missile manufacturing areas have been knocked out. NBC news, 7 June 2026 Surgery staff not using defibrillator pads. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 June 2026 The mission was the 3rd in less than 30 hours for SpaceX among its 2 Florida and 1 California launch pads. Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2026 Chips and circuitry are added in a separate assembly process, with each item bonded to a resin substrate or melted onto pads on the PCB using solder balls. Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 3 June 2026 The company had great teams coming from its pads at Kennedy Space Center and Vandenberg—not just the engineers, but also welders and other laborers who work directly on the infrastructure. Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 3 June 2026 The animal pads beside her, companion and protector, its golden eyes scanning the landscape around them for predators or potential dangers, as it has been trained to do. Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026 Skin care dominated the front of the store, with dedicated areas for toner pads, face masks, cleansers, derma care, hair care and fragrance. Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 2 June 2026 Use table runners, coasters, and doilies or felt pads under decor to catch drips and keep items from sliding around. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
Verb
Adding the killer’s voice just pads an already too-long book. Maren Longbella, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025 Not to say there aren’t some clunkers, most notably a jokey take-me-out-to-the-ballgame baseball number that pads the second act, but the Flaherty-Ahrens score was and is Ragtime‘s signature achievement. Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025 The exchange is indicative of this odd, frustrating, occasionally intriguing project, which pads out scarce but real nuggets of insight with leading questions and endless clips. Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025 Stanfield is the second new face named this month, after French actor Paul Kircher, as Anderson pads out the ranks of his men’s ambassadors following a rash of appointments on the women’s side. Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pads
Noun
  • The best smart notebooks This smart notebook fits in a pocket, has 48 reusable pages and comes with the Pilot Frixion pen required for note-taking.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Lunch boxes, markers, notebooks and notebook filler paper.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The beds, four to a room, were made from steel slats on a wooden frame.
    Kevin Maurer, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
  • Fire Station One Furniture maker Txtur teamed with Old School Partners to transform this Georgian Revival-style, 1907 firehouse into a seven-room hotel and showroom where guests can purchase the sofas, beds, art, and other decor.
    Julekha Dash, Travel + Leisure, 6 June 2026
Noun
  • New Bedford revised its plan to reduce density from 71 to 64 units, add landscape buffers, maintain consistent architectural design and other changes, according to the letter of understanding.
    Kendrick Calfee June 3, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2026
  • The system doesn’t have any frame buffers or Amiga-style bitplanes that would allow for unrestricted drawing of pixels to any part of the screen.
    Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026
Noun
  • Dedicated car spotters will already be angrily scrolling to the comments section, but rest assured the only Cobras with roofs to date have been track specials.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 June 2026
  • Freeman envisioned the steep bluff as a natural amphitheater and arranged the villas on staggered terraces that hug the headland to ensure unobstructed ocean views over the roofs below.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Verb
  • In her latest offering, the 32-year-old pivots from the darker sound of her debut, moving toward a meditative approach (in the very literal sense) to the music that colors life in the Caribbean.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
  • Sunlight colors the water behind her, brightening a few strands of her hair.
    Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 4 June 2026
Verb
  • In his typical spare and deliberate style, Romanian director Cristian Mungiu has crafted yet another Palme d’Or-worthy film that fearlessly treads into controversial issues in our society but pointedly doesn’t take sides.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 18 May 2026
  • Very much like last year, the market just treads water.
    Michael Considine, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Size and proportion play a larger role in performance than most tablets acknowledge.
    William Jones, USA Today, 3 June 2026
  • Smart TVs even surpass both tablets and computers (44% each).
    Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • The best couches for small spaces are the styles that have a compact silhouette but don’t lack character.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 4 June 2026
  • This can also be used under and behind couches, sinks, cabinets, and cracks, but don't apply it where children or pets can access it.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 4 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Pads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pads. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

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