noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The act of using a paddle.
2. 2
   An act of corporal punishment consisting of spanking the buttocks with a paddle.
3. 3
   A collective noun for ducks when they are on water.

Verb

1. 1
   present participle and gerund of paddle form-of, gerund, participle, present

Synonyms

All synonyms

hidinglickingpunishmentwallopingwhaling

Example

More examples

"Tom and Mary were paddling a canoe down the river the last time I saw them."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From paddle + -ing.

Etymology 2

From Middle English padelynge, equivalent to paddle + -ing.

Related phrases

corporal punishment

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.