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
On Sunday, the 6-foot-5 goaltender was wearing Stuart Skinner’s skates and Connor Ingram’s glove, blocker, pads and mask. Janson Duench, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 Tariffs on cement, road salt and hospital pads were removed and replaced with duties on all-terrain vehicles, some cheeses and motorboats. Steve Kopack, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026 The ad continues with a provocative montage of Sweeney in different athletic uniforms, like a hockey goalie’s mask, football pads, a baseball catcher’s helmet and a Novig jersey. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026 One is a half-hour test called EndoSure, which detects endometriosis by measuring electrical signals in the gut using sensor pads on the abdomen, with results available to the physician afterward. Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Unlike many exfoliants, these toner pads also hydrate and soothe with hyaluronic acid, cica, and panthenol for a clearer, more comfortable complexion. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2026 The Engineered Material Arresting System – or EMAS – places a series of concrete pads at the end of a runway. Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026 Its all-in-one dock automatically empties debris, refills water, and washes and dries the mop pads to prevent odors. Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2026 The majority of their starters spent the second half conversing with folks in the stands, pads long gone, while Jones took the field for his first snaps as a true freshman. Noah White, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
In other words, the additional money that our companies are shelling out to cover higher memory costs ultimately pads these three companies’ bottom lines. Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 21 June 2026 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 Rams rented a double-decker Qantas jet with beds for all 53 players.
    Matt Barrows, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Salomon started out cleaning the beds of trash trucks and then worked as a helper to the drivers, jumping out to adjust the bins so the truck’s forks could slide into the slots and lift up the bins to dump the load into the hopper.
    Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • For example, during good years, the government has accumulated financial buffers, rather than spending the resulting fiscal windfall.
    Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Seko is advising shippers to build seven- to 10-day-plus buffers into east China bookings and prepare for potential port omissions, blank sailings and cargo diversions to alternative gateways including Qingdao, Busan and Hong Kong.
    Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Visiting missionaries fill tribal members’ gas tanks and replace their sagging roofs.
    Savannah Peters, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Housing first has been controversial for its dedication to putting roofs over heads as quickly as possible, even if doing so means that clients are housed while still using drugs and alcohol.
    Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Dyes such as indigo, for example, which colors your favorite blue jeans, are actually intended to fade and will do so throughout the life of the garment.
    Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 30 Aug. 2026
  • That history still colors how the company talks, less like a supplement label and more like a couple of people who have been through it.
    Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Verb
  • Through rapid-fire verbal repartee, constant close-ups, and frantic cuts, Deramas treads a careful line between tragedy and comedy, the latter a psychological weapon against the former.
    Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Speaking of the houseboat, the finale treads some familiar ground for Lewis.
    Hunter Ingram, Variety, 1 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Users also accumulate watches, earbuds, tablets, computers, cloud services, messaging habits, photos, accessories and smart-home devices around those platforms.
    Mark Vena, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The interior chamber is engineered to handle various fuel setups, including gas burners, solid fuel tablets, alcohol burners and even organic biomass like twigs, bark, and leaves.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The space is home to collectible interior design pieces including chairs from Olivier Gagnère, white slipcovered Gervasoni Ghost couches, and classic Dutch paintings.
    Madeline Fass, Vogue, 14 Sep. 2026
  • On a recent weekend, a group of friends congregated in the venue’s basement, a narrow room with black leather couches and steel tables.
    Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Pads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pads. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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