His wife caught him out with that blonde and then he was really up shit creek without a paddle.
Source: tatoeba (68620)
Paddle
/ˈpædl̩/
Synonyms for "paddle" (247 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (50)
Strong matches (74)
Related words (123)
rackrattanrileripplerodroilrollroughenrowrow awayrow dryrufflerulerrumplesashaysaunterscuffscufflescullscuttle
Show 81 more words
shakeshake upshakershambleship oarsshootshufflesidlesingle-footskipsky an oarslinkslitherslobberslogslopsloshslouchslownessspankspargespattersplashsplatterspongespraysprinklestaggerstalkstampsteering oarstepstickstirstir upstompstraddlestragglestridestrollstrolling gaitstrutstumpswaggerswashsweepswingswirlswitchsyringetanthrashtittuptoddletottertraipsetreadtrimtriptrottroubletrudgeupsetvelocityvibratorwaddlewadewalkwallopwamblewaterweltwetwet downwhalewhipwhip upwhiskwigglewobblework up
Noun(12 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: agitate, agitator, amble, asperge, barge.
- Sentence evidence is available for paddle, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, opengloss, derived_reverse, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "paddle".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "paddle"
Keep "paddle" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "paddle" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "paddle", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "paddle" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
21 entriesShowing 16 of 21 words.
More specific
9 entriesbread paddlecanoe paddlediscipline paddlekayak paddlepaddleboardingpasta paddlescullspankspanking paddle
Collocations
9 entriescanoe paddlekayak paddlepaddle ballpaddle boardpaddle boatpaddle sportpaddle strokepaddle wheelpaddling technique
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriesTranslations
99 translations across 55 languages.
Arabic
1 entries- مِجْدَاف noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Armenian
1 entries- թիակ noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Bangi
1 entries- nkai noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Bashkir
2 entries- ишкәк noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- ишкәк noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Belarusian
1 entries- вясло́ noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Bulgarian
3 entries- гребло noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
- гребло́ noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- лопа́та noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Catalan
2 entries- pala noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
- rem noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Cebuano
1 entries- bugsay noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 槳 /桨 noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Chinook Jargon
1 entries- isick noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Czech
2 entries- pádlo noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- pádlo noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Danish
4 entries- paddel noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- padle noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- padleåre noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- pagaj noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Dutch
4 entries- paddel noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- pagaai noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- pagaai noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
- peddel noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Esperanto
2 entries- pagajo noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- pagajo noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Estonian
2 entries- mõla noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- mõla noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Finnish
2 entries- mela noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- mela noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
French
4 entries- aviron noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- pagaie noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- pagaie noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
- rame noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
German
2 entries- Doppelpaddel noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
- Paddel noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Greek
1 entries- κουπί noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Hausa
1 entries- filafili noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Hawaiian
2 entries- hoe noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- hoe noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Higaonon
1 entries- bugsay noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Hindi
4 entries- चप्पू noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- चप्पू noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
- पतवार noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- पतवार noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Hungarian
2 entries- evező noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- evező noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Icelandic
1 entries- kajakár noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Irish
1 entries- céasla noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Italian
2 entries- pagaia noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- pagaia noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Ivatan
1 entries- kawod noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Japanese
3 entries- かい noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- パドル noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
- 櫂 noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Khmer
3 entries- ចែវ noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- ច្រវា noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- ច្រវា noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Kituba
1 entries- nkafi noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Kongo
1 entries- nkayi noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Korean
2 entries- 노 noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- 로 noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Lingala
1 entries- nkai noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Macedonian
1 entries- весло noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Malayalam
2 entries- തുഴ noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- പങ്കായം noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Mansaka
1 entries- bugsay noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Mongo
1 entries- nkai noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Māori
2 entries- hoe noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- hoe noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Norwegian Bokmål
2 entries- padleåre noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- padleåre noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Norwegian Nynorsk
2 entries- padleåre noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- padleåre noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- Roodel noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Portuguese
2 entries- remo noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- remo noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Russian
2 entries- весло́ noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- весло́ noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Samoan
2 entries- foe noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- foe noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Slovak
1 entries- pádlo noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Spanish
2 entries- pala noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
- remo noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Swedish
2 entries- paddel noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- paddel noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Tausug
1 entries- bugsay noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Thai
2 entries- พาย noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- ไม้พาย noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Tongan
2 entries- fohe noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- fohe noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Turkish
2 entries- kürek noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- kürek noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Ukrainian
1 entries- весло́ noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
Vietnamese
2 entries- chèo noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- chèo noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Zazaki
2 entries- per (diq) noun (two-handed, single-bladed oar)
- per (diq) noun (double-bladed oar used for kayaking)
Sample sentences
23 total sentences available.
A son who could not learn to paddle his own canoe does not deserve to inherit his father's fortune.
Source: tatoeba (264881)
Tom can't remember which ping-pong paddle is his.
Source: tatoeba (1026748)
We're up a creek without a paddle.
Source: tatoeba (1702321)
Showing 4 of 23 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "paddle"?
Closest matches include agitate, agitator, amble, asperge, barge.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "paddle"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.