PADDING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does padding mean? 

• PADDING (noun)
  The noun PADDING has 1 sense:

1. artifact consisting of soft or resilient material used to fill or give shape or protect or add comfort

  Familiarity information: PADDING used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PADDING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Artifact consisting of soft or resilient material used to fill or give shape or protect or add comfort

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

cushioning; padding

Hypernyms ("padding" is a kind of...):

artefact; artifact (a man-made object taken as a whole)

Meronyms (substance of "padding"):

cotton; cotton fiber; cotton wool (soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state)

kapok; silk cotton; vegetable silk (a plant fiber from the kapok tree; used for stuffing and insulation)

straw (plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "padding"):

cushion (a soft bag filled with air or a mass of padding such as feathers or foam rubber etc.)

falsie (padding that is worn inside a brassiere)

pad (a flat mass of soft material used for protection, stuffing, or comfort)

stuffing (padding put in mattresses and cushions and upholstered furniture)

Derivation:

pad (add padding to)

pad (line or stuff with soft material)

 Context examples 

A barrier garment or padding used to absorb urine and stool, thereby helping to protect the skin and keep clothing and bedding clean.

(Diaper, NCI Thesaurus)

Instead of breast reconstruction, you could choose to wear a breast form that replaces the breast, wear padding inside your bra, or do nothing.

(Breast Reconstruction, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

He was catching flies and eating them, and was keeping note of his capture by making nail-marks on the edge of the door between the ridges of padding.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)