pad
pad — noun
1. a soft thick piece that you put on or in something so it is safer, cleaner, or a
a soft thick piece that you put on or in something so it is safer, cleaner, or a different shape
Nina taped a felt pad under the chair leg.
pad under furniture to protect a floor
The nurse placed a cool pad over Leo's swollen ankle.
cool pad for protection or comfort
Extra pads inside the helmet made the fit much better.
Rosa scrubbed the pan with a rough green pad.
cleaning pad
A small pad in the shoulder gave the jacket shape.
- felt pad
- cool pad
- cleaning pad
- shoulder pad
Usage Note
This sense covers protective, cleaning, and shaping uses of the object itself. Distinguish from verb sense 1, which is about adding this kind of material to something.
2. a flat absorbent piece worn inside underwear to catch menstrual blood or urine
a flat absorbent piece worn inside underwear to catch menstrual blood or urine
Maya packed two extra pads before the long bus trip.
common everyday use of pad
The school nurse gave Eva a pad after lunch.
During practice, Lena checked whether her pad needed changing.
pad + need changing
A night pad can hold more liquid while you sleep.
collocation: night pad
- sanitary pad
- night pad
- change a pad
- wear a pad
- sanitary pad
the full neutral term
- liner
a thinner version used for lighter flow
Usage Note
In everyday conversation, pad often means this product when the context is about periods or bladder control. Words like sanitary, maternity, and night commonly appear before it.
Common Mistakes
3. a small stack of sheets joined on one side for notes or drawings
a small stack of sheets joined on one side for notes or drawings
Ben tore a phone number from the pad beside the sofa.
tear a page from a pad
On her desk, Carla keeps a yellow pad for quick lists.
pad for notes
The waiter wrote our order on a small pad.
During art class, Mei sketched birds on her pad.
pad for drawing
There was a pad by the phone for messages.
- writing pad
- yellow pad
- message pad
- drawing pad
Usage Note
A pad usually has loose pages glued at the top or side. Distinguish from a notebook, which more often has a cover and pages meant to stay together.
Common Mistakes
4. the thick soft part on the bottom of an animal's paw
the thick soft part on the bottom of an animal's paw
Mud stuck between the dog's pads after the hike.
usually plural: the pads
The vet checked each pad for tiny pieces of glass.
check a paw pad
Snow had cracked the husky's front pads badly.
Soft pads help cats land quietly from high walls.
pads absorb impact
- paw pad
- front pads
- cracked pads
- soft pads
Usage Note
This sense is often plural when talking about all the feet of one animal. Distinguish from noun sense 1, which is a separate object placed on something.
5. a flat prepared area where a helicopter can land or a rocket can be sent up
a flat prepared area where a helicopter can land or a rocket can be sent up
The pilot set the helicopter down on the hospital pad.
pad for helicopter landing
Workers cleared snow from the mountain rescue pad.
News cameras faced the rocket pad before sunrise.
rocket pad
A bright orange circle marked the landing pad clearly.
common compound: landing pad
- landing pad
- rocket pad
- hospital pad
- launch pad
- helipad
specifically for helicopters
- launch pad
specifically for rockets or spacecraft
- platform
a broader word that does not always involve aircraft
Usage Note
This sense often appears in compounds such as helipad, landing pad, and launch pad.
6. the wide leaf that floats on pond water on plants such as lilies
the wide leaf that floats on pond water on plants such as lilies
A frog sat still on a wide green lily pad.
common compound: lily pad
Sunlight flashed across the pads on the quiet pond.
The ducklings hid beside a torn pad near the bank.
In June, pink flowers rose above the round pads.
pad of a water plant
- lily pad
- round pad
- floating pad
- pad on the pond
- lily leaf
a more explicit but less common description
- floating leaf
broader and can describe other water plants too
Usage Note
In ordinary speech, people often say lily pad rather than just pad for this meaning.
7. someone's home, especially an apartment, in informal speech
someone's home, especially an apartment, in informal speech
After class, we went back to Ken's pad for noodles.
informal word for home
Mira found a cheap pad near the train station.
The couple's new pad has a tiny kitchen and roof garden.
On Friday, friends crowded into Jay's pad to watch the game.
pad for a person's flat
- new pad
- cheap pad
- go back to someone's pad
- at Ken's pad
Usage Note
Common in casual speech and often suggests a young person's apartment or a simple place to stay. Distinguish from noun sense 4, which names a flat area rather than a home.
pad — verb
1. to fill, line, or cover something with soft material so it is protected, softer,
to fill, line, or cover something with soft material so it is protected, softer, or shaped better
The movers padded the mirror with blankets before the drive.
pad + object + with + material
Ava padded the box so the bowls would not break.
The tailor padded the shoulders to balance the jacket.
shape clothing with padding
Workers padded the inside of the case with old towels.
common object: case or box
- pad a box
- pad the shoulders
- pad with foam
- pad the inside
Grammar Patterns
pad something with foam
pad the box with paper
be padded with cloth
Usage Note
Common patterns are pad something with ... and be padded with .... Distinguish from noun sense 1, which names the soft piece itself rather than the action of adding it.
Common Mistakes
2. to walk in a slow quiet way with very little sound
to walk in a slow quiet way with very little sound
The cat padded across the kitchen before dawn.
pad + across + place
Barefoot, Omar padded down the hall for water.
quiet movement by bare feet
Nurses padded softly between the beds during the storm.
pad + adverb
From the tent, I heard someone pad past the river rocks.
- pad across the room
- pad down the hall
- pad softly
- pad past someone
- stamp
to walk with heavy noisy steps
Grammar Patterns
pad across a room
pad softly
pad down the hall
Usage Note
This verb often takes words like across, along, down, past, or softly. It usually suggests bare feet, paws, or very quiet shoes.
Common Mistakes
3. to make a report, list, or total look bigger by adding extra material that is no
to make a report, list, or total look bigger by adding extra material that is not really needed
The salesman padded the bill with charges we never agreed to.
pad a bill with extra charges
Nora padded her essay with long quotes to reach the limit.
pad writing to increase length
Someone had padded the travel claim before it reached finance.
The company padded its sales numbers before the meeting.
pad numbers dishonestly
- pad a bill
- pad an essay
- pad a claim
- pad the numbers
- trim
to cut extra material out and make something shorter or smaller
Grammar Patterns
pad a bill with charges
pad an essay with quotes
pad the numbers
Usage Note
The object is usually writing, numbers, costs, or a bill. Distinguish from verb sense 1, where extra material is added for real protection or shape rather than to mislead or stretch something.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- paddingnounB2
- paddedadjectiveC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/3
For noun/3, pad is a broad everyday word for sheets fastened together at one edge, usually for quick writing or drawing. Notepad is almost the same, but it sounds a little more explicit and common in product names. Notebook usually suggests a more durable book with pages meant to stay in place, so it fits class notes or long records better. Memo pad often means a smaller pad for short reminders by a phone or desk. Sketchbook is mainly for drawing and usually has thicker paper than an ordinary pad. You might write a shopping list on a pad or notepad, keep lecture notes in a notebook, and draw faces in a sketchbook.
Etymology
Pad has been in English since Middle English. The noun first referred to a soft flat piece placed under, over, or inside something. From that physical idea, English later extended the word to a writing pad, the broad leaf of a water plant, and a landing pad. The verb grew from the noun, first meaning to add padding and later also taking figurative uses such as padding a bill or report with extra material.