Meaning & use
paddock
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableBritishAustralian
A small fenced field where horses or other animals are kept or exercised.
Grammar: Common in farm and riding contexts, especially in Britain and Australia.
Patterns
- in the paddock
- a paddock of something
The horses grazed in the paddock behind the barn.
He led the pony back to the paddock.
A few sheep wandered across the paddock.
nouncountablesport
The enclosed area at a racetrack where horses are shown before a race.
Grammar: Often used with the or in: the horses in the paddock.
Patterns
- in the paddock
- to the paddock
The crowd studied the horses in the paddock before the race.
Jockeys walked to the paddock for the next event.
The winner was cheered in the paddock afterward.
nouncountablesport
The area at a motor-racing circuit where teams prepare and repair their cars.
Grammar: Usually singular with the: the paddock at Silverstone.
Patterns
- in the paddock
Fans lined up at the paddock hoping to meet drivers.
The team worked in the paddock all night.
Rumors spread quickly around the paddock.
Word forms
| plural | paddocks |
|---|
Common combinations
- grassy paddock
- The mare rested in a grassy paddock.
- paddock fence
- He repaired the paddock fence.
- in the paddock
- The cows are in the paddock.
- paddock pass
- She got a paddock pass for the race.
- saddle in the paddock
- Jockeys saddle up in the paddock.
Synonyms and how they differ
- field
- Field is the general word for open land, whereas paddock is smaller and normally fenced for animals.
- pasture
- Pasture is larger grassland for grazing, and paddock suggests a smaller enclosed space.
- corral
- Corral is the American word for a pen for livestock, often without grass.
- enclosure
- Enclosure is general for any fenced space and does not suggest horses.
Word family
- paddocks noun
- the plural, several fenced fields
- paddock-bred adjective
- raised in a paddock
- pad noun
- an old word for a path, related to the source of the term
Commonly confused: paddock or pasture?
paddock vs pasture
A pasture is larger open grassland for grazing, while a paddock is smaller and fenced, often next to the stable.
Practice
Before the big race, the owners looked over the horses in the ___.
Choose one answer.
The paddock is where horses are shown before a race. The other options are real words but have nothing to do with horses.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “paddock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.