pad

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
a
: a thin flat mat or cushion: such as
(1)
: a guard worn to shield body parts against impact
(3)
: padding used to shape an article of clothing
(4)
: a piece of usually folded absorbent material (such as gauze) used as a surgical dressing or protective covering
(5)
: a component of certain brake systems (such as disc brakes) consisting of a plate covered with a frictional material
(6)
: a piece of soft stuffed material used as or under a saddle
b
: a piece of material saturated with ink for inking the surface of a rubber stamp
2
: a collection of sheets of paper glued or fastened together at one end
3
a
: the cushioned thickening of the underside of the toes of an animal
b
: the foot of an animal
4
a
: living quarters
b
: bed
5
a(1)
: an area used for helicopter takeoffs and landings
(2)
: a section of an airstrip used for warm-ups or turnarounds
b
c
: a horizontal concrete surface (as for parking a mobile home)
6
a
: a floating leaf of a water plant
b
: the flattened, fleshy, paddle-shaped stem segment of a cactus (such as a prickly pear)

pad

2 of 5

verb (1)

padded; padding

transitive verb

1
a
: to furnish with a pad or padding
b
2
: to expand or increase especially with needless, misleading, or fraudulent matter
pad the sales figures
often used with out
they pad out their bibliographiesJ. P. Kenyon

pad

3 of 5

verb (2)

padded; padding

transitive verb

: to traverse on foot

intransitive verb

: to go on foot : walk
especially : to walk with or as if with padded feet
the dog padded along beside him
padding around in bedroom slippers

pad

4 of 5

noun (2)

: a soft muffled or slapping sound

pad

5 of 5

noun (3)

1
dialectal British : path
2
: a horse that moves along at an easy pace
3
archaic : footpad

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
This two-in-one product can be used as a walking pad and treadmill for both jogging and running, reaching a maximum speed of 7.5 miles per hour. Clara Mcmahon, Peoplemag, 24 Feb. 2023 Caddell Construction is overseeing work on the Elmore prison, where the foundation pad and other preliminary work has been done. Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, 22 Feb. 2023 Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both standard, as is a wireless smartphone charging pad and a 5G Wi-Fi hotspot. Drew Dorian, Car and Driver, 8 Feb. 2023 Outside, meanwhile, the generous bow area sports a large sun pad and a forward-facing panoramic sofa. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2023 Three stops in particular stood out: a pad save against Curtis Lazar, who was alone on the doorstep; a point-blank tip-in shot by Horvat on a power play; and a Luke Schenn breakaway coming out of the penalty box. Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2023 When the entire pattern is filled in, and all stray pieces of yarn have been tied and trimmed, remove the carpet pad and cloth from the frame. Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Jan. 2023 Small features like a rubber drag pad and an R-DST+ midsole foam (to help create a bouncy rebound) are just a couple of reasons why this shoe is next level. John Thompson, Men's Health, 3 Jan. 2023 The former completely re-envisions the popular amenity with improved accessibility, a new competition and recreation pool, water play amenities area, splash pad and bathhouse renovations. John Benson, cleveland, 22 Dec. 2022
Verb
James isn’t a creaky late-stage legend hoisting unnecessary shots to pad his résumé. Jason Gay, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023 That’s why Little Gym owners are resisting Unleashed’s attempts to squeeze their profits to pad its own. Michael Corkery, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2023 Take advantage of their No Sweat First Bet to pad your bankroll. Chris Ilenstine, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2023 The Rangers also signed Andrew Heaney and traded for Jake Odorizzi to further pad out their rotation. Dallas News, 19 Dec. 2022 Rivera relied on her daughter and singer George Dvorsky to pad out the show. Charles Mcnultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2022 The filthy rich are about to pad their account – and that isn't a reference to free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr.'s Texas visit. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2022 Already owning more receiving yards than any other third-year player in NFL history with six games left to pad his total, Justin Jefferson has gained the trust of Kirk Cousins many times over. Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 4 Dec. 2022 The site now generates a pop-up window asking for emails and phone numbers to pad the mailing lists of his nascent campaign and the Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee. Brian Bennett, Time, 23 Nov. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pad.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

origin unknown

Verb (2)

perhaps from Middle Dutch paden to follow a path, from pad path

Noun (2)

imitative

Noun (3)

Middle Dutch pad

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1554, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1553, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

1879, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pad was in 1553

Dictionary Entries Near pad

Cite this Entry

“Pad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pad. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

pad

1 of 4 verb
padded; padding
1
: to go on foot
2
: to move along with a muffled step

pad

2 of 4 noun
1
a
: a thin flat mat or cushion
b
: a guard worn to shield body parts against impact
c
: a piece of usually folded absorbent material (as gauze)
d
: a piece of material that holds ink for inking a rubber stamp
2
a
: the hairy foot of some mammals (as a fox or hare)
b
: the soft thickening of the underside of the foot or toes of some mammals (as dogs)
3
: a floating leaf of a water plant
4
: a number of sheets of writing paper glued together at one edge
5
6
a
: living quarters : home

pad

3 of 4 verb
padded; padding
1
: to furnish with a pad or padding
2
: to expand with unnecessary or unimportant material
pad a speech

pad

4 of 4 noun
: a soft muffled or slapping sound
Etymology

Verb

probably from early Dutch paden "to follow a path"

Noun

origin unknown

Medical Definition

pad

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a usually square or rectangular piece of often folded typically absorbent material (as gauze) fixed in place over some part of the body as a dressing or other protective covering
2
: a part of the body or of an appendage that resembles or is suggestive of a cushion : a thick fleshy resilient part: as
a
: the sole of the foot or underside of the toes of an animal (as a dog) that is typically thickened so as to form a cushion
b
: the underside of the extremities of the fingers
especially : the ball of the thumb

PAD

2 of 2 abbreviation
peripheral arterial disease

More from Merriam-Webster on pad

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