paddock

noun

pad·​dock ˈpa-dək 

-dik

1

a

: a usually enclosed area used especially for pasturing or exercising animals

led the sheep into the paddock

especially : an enclosure where racehorses are saddled and paraded before a race

b

Australia and New Zealand : an often enclosed field

2

: an area at an automobile racecourse where racing cars are parked

Examples of paddock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cinnamon escaped from her enclosure when the keepers went in to mow the paddock, Dorrell tells BBC News. —Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024

At Keeneland, another of America’s premier racetracks, in Kentucky, a $93 million reimagining of its paddock is underway to expand dining and viewing options. —Joe Drape, New York Times, 7 June 2024

The domestic doyenne and horse lover helped Snoop get suited and paddock booted for the occasion in white jodhpurs, a dark blue riding jacket with tails — monogrammed with a giant gold S, of course — and a black riding helmet. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 5 Aug. 2024

Coming in with $200 million price tag, the project has been underway for almost a year and will flip the paddock's footprint, double its space and add thousands of seats, among other improvements. —Keisha Rowe, The Courier-Journal, 20 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English parrok, from Old English pearroc, from Medieval Latin parricus

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

paddock

noun

pad·​dock ˈpad-ək 

-ik

1

: an enclosed area where animals are put to eat grass or to exercise

2

: an enclosed area where racehorses are saddled and paraded before moving to the racetrack