pad

noun

1. A flattened mass of anything soft, to sit or lie on.
2. A cushion used as a saddle without a tree or frame.
3. A soft, or small, cushion.
4. A soft area on the ends of a digit:
5. A soft area on the ends of a digit:
6. A soft area on the ends of a digit:

   “Collie ignored him. Reached the finger further. Closer. And closer yet, until — […] Collie yanked his hand back and peered at it like a kid with an interesting new scrape. Then he turned to Steve and held it out. A bead of blood, small and dark and perfect, was forming on the pad of his index finger.”

7. A stuffed guard or protection, especially one worn on the legs of horses to prevent bruising.
8. A soft bag or cushion to relieve pressure, support a part, etc.
9. A menstrual pad; a mass of absorbent material used to absorb menstrual flow.

   “In this study, when the views of the mothers on the tiring/straining situations during their daughters’ adolescence are examined, it is determined that the mothers mostly have difficulties in using the pads of their daughters, cleaning the hairs in the armpit and genital area, and bathing their daughters.”

10. (US)A floating leaf of a water lily or similar plant.
11. A soft cover for a batsman's leg that protects the player from damage when hit by the ball.
12. A kind of cushion for writing upon, or for blotting, especially one formed of many flat sheets of writing paper; now especially such a block of paper sheets as used to write on.
13. A panel or strip of material designed to be sensitive to pressure or touch.
14. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis)Ellipsis of keypad.
15. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis)Ellipsis of mouse pad.
16. (slang)a tablet PC
17. A flat surface or area from which a helicopter or other aircraft may land or be launched.
18. An electrical extension cord with a multi-port socket on one end; a "trip cord".
19. The effect produced by sustained lower reed notes in a musical piece, most common in blues music.
20. A synthesizer instrument sound used for sustained background sounds.
21. (US, slang)A bed.
22. (colloquial)A small house, apartment, or mobile home occupied by a single person; such as a bachelor, playboy, etc.
23. (UK, slang)A prison cell.
24. A random key (originally written on a disposable pad) of the same length as the plaintext.
25. The amount by which a signal has been reduced.

    “It is a general practice to pad down a condenser mike with as much as a 20-30 dB pad.”

26. A piece of timber fixed on a beam to fit the curve of the deck.

    “let us at least trust that the hair-pins will do their duty, and maintain the respectability of passion by holding the pads and puffs and frizettes in their proper places.”

27. An exposed area of copper on a printed circuit board meant for connecting wires or electronic components.
28. (British, dialectal)A toad.
29. (Australia, British, Ireland, dialectal)A path, particularly one unformed or unmaintained; a track made by animals.

    “We led the horses along an animal pad that zigzagged down the one accessible descent.”

    “And when the map shows that the creek will no longer take him where he wants to go, then he looks for an animal pad and follows it, getting down on his belly and wriggling under thorny bush when he has to.”

30. An easy-paced horse; a padnag.

    “Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, / An abbot on an ambling pad, / Sometimes a curly shepherd lad, / Or long-hair'd page, in crimson clad, / Goes by to Camelot.”

31. (British, obsolete)A robber who infests the road on foot; a highwayman or footpad.

    “A Pad came pacing down the way : / The Cur, with never-ceasing tongue , / Upon the passing trav'ler sprung”

    “These free-born sounds proceeded from four pads / In ambush laid, who had perceived him loiter / Behind his carriage; and, like handy lads, / Had seized the lucky hour to reconnoitre”

32. (British, obsolete)A tramp or itinerant musician.
33. (British, dialectal)A type of wickerwork basket, especially as used as a measure of fish or other goods.
34. The sound of soft footsteps, or a similar noise made by an animal etc.
35. (abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable)Initialism of peripheral artery disease.

verb

1. (transitive)To stuff.
2. (transitive)To furnish with a pad or padding.
3. (transitive)To increase the size of, especially by adding undesirable filler.

   “The author began to pad her succinct stories with trite descriptions to keep up with current market trends.”

   “pad one's expenses”

   “"Obama pads delegate lead […] with win in key western state."”

4. (transitive)To imbue uniformly with a mordant.

   “to pad cloth”

   “[…] to pad a piece in diluted acetate of alumine to obtain a pale lemon ground […]”

5. (transitive)To deliberately play the ball with the leg pad instead of the bat.
6. To walk with soft steps.

   “pad down the corridor”

7. (transitive)To travel along (a road, path etc.).

   “Padding the streets for half a crown.”

8. (intransitive)To travel on foot.
9. (intransitive)To wear a path by walking.

   “Who were the strugglers, what war did they wage, / Whose savage trample thus could pad the dank / Soil to a plash? [...]”

10. (intransitive)To walk softly, quietly or steadily, especially without shoes.

    “Their feet padded softly on the ground, and they crept quite close to him, twitching their noses, while the Rabbit stared hard to see which side the clockwork stuck out...”

11. (intransitive, obsolete)To practise highway robbery.

    “Their chief Argument is, That they never saw any Witches, therefore there are none. Just as if you or I should say, We never met with any Robbers on the Road, therefore there never was any Padding there.”

intj

1. Indicating a soft flat sound, as of bare footsteps.

   “I heard her soft footsteps, pad, pad along the corridor.”