- 1[intransitive, transitive] to move a small boat through water using a paddle (+ adv./prep.) We paddled downstream for about a mile. paddle something (+ adv./prep.) We paddled the canoe along the coast. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbfrantically, furiously See full entry See related entries: Travelling by boat or ship
- 2(British English) (North American English wade) [intransitive] to walk or stand with no shoes or socks in shallow water in the sea, a lake, etc. The children have gone paddling. See related entries: Hobbies
- 3[intransitive] to swim with short movements of your hands or feet up and down Wordfinderswimarmband, dive, flipper, float, goggles, length, paddle, stroke, swim, water wings Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbfrantically, furiously See full entry
- 4[transitive] paddle somebody/something (North American English) to hit a child with a flat piece of wood as a punishment Word Originverb sense 1 and verb senses 3 to 4 late Middle English (denoting a small spade-like implement): of unknown origin. Current senses date from the 17th cent. verb sense 2 mid 16th cent.: of obscure origin; compare with Low German paddeln ‘tramp about’; the association with water remains unexplained.
paddle
verbBrE BrE//ˈpædl//; NAmE NAmE//ˈpædl//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they paddle BrE BrE//ˈpædl//; NAmE NAmE//ˈpædl//
he / she / it paddles BrE BrE//ˈpædlz//; NAmE NAmE//ˈpædlz//
past simple paddled BrE BrE//ˈpædld//; NAmE NAmE//ˈpædld//
past participle paddled BrE BrE//ˈpædld//; NAmE NAmE//ˈpædld//
-ing form paddling BrE BrE//ˈpædlɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈpædlɪŋ//
Hobbies, Travelling by boat or shipCheck pronunciation: paddle
