I. pad ‧ dle 1 /ˈpædl/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: Perhaps from Medieval Latin padela , from Latin patella ; ⇨ ↑ patella ]
1 . [countable] a short pole that is wide and flat at the end, used for moving a small boat in water ⇨ oar
2 . [singular] British English when you walk for pleasure without shoes or socks in water that is not very deep:
If it’s not too cold, we can go for a paddle.
3 . [countable] American English a small round flat ↑ bat with a short handle, used for hitting the ball in ↑ table tennis :
a ping-pong paddle
4 . [countable] a tool like a flat spoon, used for mixing food
⇨ ↑ dog paddle
II. paddle 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle paddled , present participle paddling )
[ Sense 1,4-5: Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: ⇨ ↑ paddle 1 ]
[ Sense 2-3: Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: Probably from ⇨ ↑ pad 2 (1) ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to move a small light boat through water, using one or more paddles
paddle along/upstream/towards etc
I desperately tried to paddle for the shore.
She and her husband paddled a canoe down the Mississippi.
⇨ ↑ row 3
2 . [intransitive] British English to walk for pleasure without shoes or socks in water that is not very deep SYN wade American English :
children paddling in the sea
3 . [intransitive] to swim with short quick movements:
The dog was paddling furiously after the ducks.
4 . [transitive] American English informal to hit a child with a piece of wood as a punishment
5 . paddle your own canoe British English informal to do things yourself, without help from anyone else