pad
1 of 5noun (1)
ˈpad 
1
a
: a thin flat mat or cushion: such as
(1)
: a guard worn to shield body parts against impact
(2)
: sanitary napkin
(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
: launchpad
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 5verb (1)
padded; padding
transitive verb
1
a
: to furnish with a pad or padding
b
: mute, muffle
2
: to expand or increase especially with needless, misleading, or fraudulent matter
pad the sales figures
—often used with out they pad out their bibliographies
J. P. Kenyon
J. P. Kenyonpad
3 of 5verb (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 5noun (2)
: a soft muffled or slapping sound
pad
5 of 5noun (3)
1
dialectal British : path
2
: a horse that moves along at an easy pace
3
archaic : footpad
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- notepad
- tablet
Verb (1)
- color
- elaborate (on)
- embellish
- embroider
- exaggerate
- hyperbolize
- magnify
- stretch
Verb (2)
- ambulate
- foot (it)
- hoof (it)
- leg (it)
- step
- traipse
- tread
- walk
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
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
Phrases Containing pad
Kids Definition
pad 1 of 3
noun
ˈpad
1
: a tablet of writing or drawing paper
2
: something soft used for protection or comfort : cushion
3
: one of the cushioned parts of the underside of the feet of some animals (as a dog)
4
: a floating leaf of a water plant (as a water lily)
5
: a piece of material that holds ink used in inking rubber stamps
pad
2 of 3verb
padded; padding
: to move with quiet steps
… I rose and padded silently into Mama and Papa's room. Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Crypad
3 of 3verb
padded; padding
1
: to stuff or cover with soft material
We made a bed for the dog by padding a box.
2
: to make longer by adding words
He likes to pad a speech with humorous stories.
Medical Definition
pad 1 of 2
noun
ˈpad
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
b
: sanitary pad
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 2abbreviation
peripheral arterial disease
pads 1 of 3
noun
1
as in notebooks
a number of sheets of writing paper glued together at one edge the waitress keeps a pad in the pocket of her apron to write down orders Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- notebooks
- notepads
- tablets
- scratch pads
- pamphlets
- booklets
- scrapbooks
- albums
2
as in beds
a place set aside for sleeping I went back to my pad to get some rest Synonyms & Similar Words
- beds
- couches
- mattresses
- sofas
- bunks
- racks
- sacks
- dosses
- pallets
- futon
- futons
- hays
- bedsteads
- kips
- studio couches
- hammocks
- cribs
- lairs
- cots
- daybeds
- bunk beds
- cradles
- sofa beds
- bassinets
- water beds
- sleigh beds
- carry-cots
- feather beds
- four-posters
- trundle beds
- Murphy beds
- shakedowns
3
as in cushions
something that serves as a protective barrier a pad on the chair to keep it from getting scratched Synonyms & Similar Words
- cushions
- shields
- bumpers
- buffers
- fenders
- barricades
- cushionings
- paddings
- cocoons
- baffles
- mufflers
- safeguards
- cordons
4
as in roofs
the place where one lives welcome to my pad Synonyms & Similar Words
- roofs
- residences
- houses
- dwellings
- abodes
- homes
- housings
- places
- quarters
- residencies
- lodgings
- rooms
- apartments
- cabins
- cottages
- hearthstones
- habitations
- bungalows
- mansions
- hearths
- domiciles
- nests
- shelters
- flats
- ranches
- huts
- diggings
- accommodations
- firesides
- castles
- suites
- villas
- estates
- barracks
- tract houses
- billets
- ranch houses
- shacks
- dormitories
- apartment houses
- condos
- tenement houses
- trailers
- farmhouses
- palaces
- condominiums
- town houses
- chalets
- penthouses
- manors
- duplexes
- dorms
- lodging houses
- homesteads
- manor houses
- casitas
- recreational vehicles
- townhomes
- rooming houses
- salons
- split levels
- saltboxes
- tenements
- semis
- house trailers
- boardinghouses
- triplexes
- haciendas
- condominia
- rectories
- halls
- flophouses
- hovels
- lodgments
- countryseats
- motor homes
- manses
- hutches
- hooches
- lodgements
- houseboats
- hootches
- mobile homes
- granges
- walk-ups
- parsonages
- shanties
- RVs
- vicarages
- double-wides
- hermitages
- châteaus
- McMansions
- châteaux
pads
2 of 3verb (1)
as in colors
to add to the interest of by including made-up details the journalist was fired for padding certain stories to make them more interesting Synonyms & Similar Words
- colors
- exaggerates
- embroiders
- stretches
- enhances
- embellishes
- hyperbolizes
- expands
- hedges
- stresses
- magnifies
- elaborates (on)
- satirizes
- emphasizes
- overdraws
- amplifies
- plays up
- overemphasizes
- caricatures
- overdoes
- fleshes (out)
- overplays
- dresses up
- gussies up
- enlarges (on or upon)
- fudges
- overstates
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- minimizes
- understates
- belittles
- plays down
pads
3 of 3verb (2)
as in treads
to go on foot a cat padded silently by Synonyms & Similar Words
- treads
- walks
- steps
- strolls
- ambulates
- marches
- troops
- wanders
- hoofs (it)
- paces
- strides
- stumps
- saunters
- traipses
- treks
- legs (it)
- promenades
- taps
- shuffles
- trots
- clumps
- foots (it)
- hikes
- struts
- tramps
- stomps
- parades
- ambles
- tramples
- perambulates
- steps out
- minces
- gimps
- tiptoes
- prances
- scuffs
- power walks
- footslogs
- sashays
- pussyfoots
- moseys
- peregrinates
- waddles
- stalks
- hobbles
- trips
- limps
- toddles
- swaggers
- rambles
- bounces
- nips
- trudges
- lurches
- shambles
- plods
- stumbles
- falters
- staggers
- pounds
- tromps
- lumbers