Meaning & use
lily pad
Last updated
UK/ˈlɪli pæd/
US/ˈlɪli pæd/
Meaning
nouncountable
The large, flat, round leaf of a water lily, which floats on the surface of a pond or lake.
Grammar: Takes a: a lily pad; plural lily pads.
Patterns
- sit on a lily pad
- float on a lily pad
A green frog sat on a lily pad in the middle of the pond.
The lily pads covered half the surface of the lake.
Dragonflies rested on the broad lily pads.
Word forms
| plural | lily pads |
|---|
Common combinations
- floating lily pad
- A floating lily pad rocked in the ripples.
- frog on a lily pad
- She drew a frog on a lily pad.
- cover with lily pads
- The pond was covered with lily pads.
- hop from lily pad to lily pad
- The toad hopped from lily pad to lily pad.
- green lily pad
- A green lily pad shone in the sunlight.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- lily noun
- a plant with large, trumpet-shaped flowers
- water lily noun
- the pond plant that has lily pads
- pad noun
- a flat, soft or round object
- lily-white adjective
- pure white
Commonly confused: lily pad or lotus leaf?
lily pad vs lotus leaf
A lotus leaf often rises above the water on a stalk, while a lily pad floats on the surface.
Practice
Where would you most likely see a lily pad?
Choose one answer.
Lily pads are floating leaves of water lilies, so they are found in still water such as ponds. The other places have no water for them.
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