# pad

Pronunciation: say "PAD" /pæd/

## Noun

1. A soft bag or cushion that relieves pressure or supports a part of the body.
   - Simple: A soft cushion used to ease pressure or to support a part of the body.
   - _Cyclists often add a gel pad to ease pressure on long rides._
   - _The brace included foam pads to cushion the joint._
2. A block of writing-paper sheets bound at one edge, used for writing on or for blotting.
   - Simple: A block of paper sheets joined at one edge, used for writing or drawing.
   - _The detective jotted the address on his pad._
   - _Reporters filled their pads with shorthand notes during the trial._
3. A level, hard-surfaced area used for the takeoff and landing of helicopters or other aircraft.
   - Simple: A flat surface where a helicopter or other aircraft can land or take off.
   - _The rescue helicopter lifted off from the rooftop pad at dawn._
   - _Engineers reinforced the pad to handle heavier aircraft._
4. The fleshy, largely hairless cushion on the underside of a paw or of an animal's foot.
   - Simple: The soft, mostly hairless skin on the bottom of an animal's foot or paw.
   - _A dog grips the slick floor with the bare pad of each paw._
   - _A bear's pads leave broad prints across the muddy bank._
5. A mass of absorbent material used to absorb menstrual flow.
   - Simple: A piece of soft material worn to soak up blood during a period.
   - _She changed her pad before the long afternoon meeting._
   - _Many travelers pack extra pads in their carry-on bags._
6. A touch-sensitive surface or panel that responds when pressed or tapped, as on a keypad or an electronic drum kit.
   - Simple: A flat piece of material that reacts when you press or touch it.
   - _A light press on the pad registered her fingerprint instantly._
   - _Electronic drum kits respond to how hard you strike the pads._
7. A small apartment, house, or trailer that someone lives in alone, typically a bachelor. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A small home or apartment where one person lives.
   - _Friends crashed at his cramped downtown pad after the concert._
   - _She finally got her own pad after years of sharing with roommates._
8. A leaf that lies flat on the water's surface, such as that of a water lily or a similar aquatic plant. *(US)*
   - Simple: A flat leaf of a water lily that floats on the surface of the water.
   - _The pond was thick with pads by midsummer._
   - _A turtle pulled itself onto a broad pad to bask in the sun._
10. In cricket, a padded guard strapped to a batsman's leg to protect it from injury by the ball.
   - Simple: A soft guard worn on a cricket player's leg to protect it from the ball.
   - _He adjusted his pads as he walked out to the crease._
   - _The ball thudded harmlessly against the batsman's pad._
12. Ellipsis of keypad. — Ellipsis of keypad.
   - Simple: Short for keypad. It means the small set of buttons you press to enter numbers or a code.
   - _He keyed the access code into the pad beside the elevator._
   - _The alarm pad beeped twice when she armed the system._
13. Ellipsis of mouse pad. *(Australia, US)* — Ellipsis of mouse pad.
   - Simple: Short for mouse pad. It is the flat mat you move a computer mouse on.
   - _The optical mouse glided smoothly across the new pad._
   - _He rolled up the pad and tucked it into his laptop bag._
15. A fleshy, cushioned area of the human body, most notably at the tips of the fingers.
   - Simple: A soft, cushion-like part of the body, especially the tip of a finger.
   - _He traced the texture with the pad of his index finger._
   - _Calluses formed on the pads of her fingertips after months of climbing._
16. A cushion-like thickening of skin on the underside of an animal's toes.
   - Simple: The soft, cushiony part on the bottom of an animal's foot.
   - _The vet found a thorn lodged deep in the dog's rear pad._
   - _Rough, frozen ground can crack the pads on a sled dog's feet._
17. A bed, in informal or slang use. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: A casual word for a bed, or the place where someone sleeps.
   - _He flopped down on his pad and was asleep within minutes._
   - _After the long shift, all she wanted was to hit the pad._
18. A flattened mass of something soft, made to sit or lie on.
   - Simple: A flat, soft mass that you can sit or lie on.
   - _He unrolled a foam pad before settling down for the night._
   - _The shelter handed out sleeping pads to everyone who came in._
19. A soft or small cushion.
   - Simple: A small, soft cushion you can rest something on.
   - _A velvet pad held the wedding rings during the ceremony._
   - _The jeweler displayed each gem on its own small pad._
20. A synthesizer sound used for sustained, atmospheric background layers in music.
   - Simple: A smooth, steady background sound made by an electronic keyboard.
   - _The producer layered a lush pad beneath the vocal line._
   - _Ambient tracks often rely on slow, evolving pads for their mood._
21. A stuffed guard or protective covering, especially one worn on a horse's legs to prevent bruising.
   - Simple: A soft, stuffed guard worn to protect a body part from getting hurt.
   - _The trainer fastened a protective pad to the horse's foreleg._
   - _Polo ponies often need leg pads during fast, hard matches._
22. A cushion used as a saddle, without the rigid tree or frame of an ordinary saddle.
   - Simple: A soft cushion used in place of a saddle, with no hard frame.
   - _He preferred a light pad to a heavy stock saddle for short rides._
   - _On the trek, the ponies carried only simple pads and light loads._
23. An informal term for a tablet computer. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A casual word for a flat tablet computer you hold in your hands.
   - _I jotted the notes straight onto my pad during the meeting._
   - _Half the class was sketching on their pads instead of paper._
25. A random key as long as the plaintext, used to encrypt a message, originally written on a disposable pad.
   - Simple: In secret codes, a random key as long as the message it hides.
   - _The agent encrypted each dispatch with a fresh pad for every transmission._
   - _Because the pad was used only once, the cipher could not be broken._
26. The muffled sound made by someone walking quietly, or by an animal's paws on the ground.
   - Simple: The soft, low sound of quiet footsteps, or a like noise from an animal.
   - _The faint pad of footsteps told her someone else was awake._
   - _A gentle pad of paws crossed the bare wooden floor._
28. An extension cord ending in a multi-outlet block, letting several devices be plugged in at once.
   - Simple: An extension cord with several plug holes on one end.
   - _The stage crew ran a heavy-duty pad to the far corner._
   - _All the studio gear shared a single pad along the back wall._
29. An informal term for a prison cell. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: A slang word for a prison cell.
   - _He was banged up in his pad for twenty-three hours a day._
   - _They moved him to a pad on the top landing after the trouble._
30. The degree to which a signal's level has been reduced, as by an attenuator.
   - Simple: The amount that a signal has been made weaker.
   - _She inserted a pad to bring the microphone level within range._
   - _A small pad on the input kept the amplifier from clipping._

## Verb

9. To enlarge or lengthen something, especially by adding filler that serves no real purpose.
   - Simple: To make something bigger by adding extra parts that are not needed.
   - _The contractor padded the bill with charges for work never done._
   - _Writers sometimes pad a thin argument with needless repetition._
11. To furnish something with a pad or padding.
   - Simple: To add a soft layer to something to make it safer or more comfortable.
   - _The tailor padded the shoulders of the jacket for a sharper line._
   - _Manufacturers pad bicycle seats with gel for added comfort._
14. To stuff or fill something with material.
   - Simple: To fill something with soft material to make it firm or thick.
   - _The upholsterer padded the seat with horsehair._
   - _They pad the packaging with foam to absorb shocks in transit._
24. In cricket, to deliberately block the ball with the leg pad rather than the bat.
   - Simple: In cricket, to stop the ball with your leg pad on purpose instead of hitting it with the bat.
   - _The batsman decided to pad the ball rather than play a risky stroke._
   - _He padded several deliveries outside off stump to frustrate the bowler._

## Interjection

27. Used to represent a soft, flat sound, such as that of bare footsteps.
   - Simple: Used to show a soft, flat sound, like that of bare feet stepping.
   - _Pad, pad, pad came the sound of someone creeping down the hall._
   - _Pad. The soft slap of feet on the tiles broke the silence._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A steady background made by holding low reed notes for a long time beneath the music, heard most often in the blues.
- (noun) On a ship, a shaped wooden filler attached to a beam so the deck's camber is matched.
- (verb) To soak cloth evenly with a mordant so that dye will fix to it.
- (noun) A frog-like creature, the toad.
- (noun) A rough trail, especially one worn by animals rather than built.
- (noun) A horse with a gentle, comfortable gait, suited to easy riding.
- (noun) A thief who robbed travelers on the road while going on foot rather than on horseback.
- (noun) A vagrant, or a musician who wanders from place to place.
- (noun) A basket of woven wicker, often serving as a standard measure for fish and similar wares.
- (verb) To make one's way over a route on foot, as when tramping a road.
- (verb) To journey by walking.
- (verb) To beat down a track by walking over the same ground again and again.
- (verb) To move with soft, quiet, even steps, often barefoot.
- (verb) To rob travelers on the road.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–25, 28–30** — First recorded in 1554 meaning a "bundle of straw to lie on," this word probably comes from Low German or West Flemish 'pad' ("sole of the foot"), perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pent- ("to pass"), which would make it related to both 'path' and 'find'.
**Meanings 26–27** — Probably imitative in origin, perhaps related to or influenced by Etymology 5 above.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pad (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).