Meaning & use
trackpad
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Meaning
nouncountablecomputing
A flat, touch-sensitive panel below a laptop keyboard that you slide your fingers across to move the pointer and click.
Grammar: Countable: a laptop has one trackpad.
Patterns
- use the trackpad
- on the trackpad
I find it easier to draw with a mouse than with the trackpad.
Swipe up with three fingers on the trackpad to see all your open windows.
Crumbs got under the trackpad and made it stick.
Word forms
| plural | trackpads |
|---|
Common combinations
- use the trackpad
- Most people prefer to use the trackpad when travelling.
- swipe on the trackpad
- Swipe on the trackpad to scroll through the page.
- trackpad gestures
- Trackpad gestures let you zoom with two fingers.
- laptop trackpad
- The laptop trackpad stopped responding after the update.
- click the trackpad
- Click the trackpad once to select the icon.
- trackpad settings
- Open the trackpad settings to change the scroll direction.
Synonyms and how they differ
- touchpad
- Touchpad means nearly the same thing but is more common on Windows laptops and in technical writing.
- mouse
- A mouse is a separate handheld device that moves the pointer, whereas a trackpad is built into the laptop.
- touchscreen
- A touchscreen is the display itself responding to touch, while a trackpad is a separate pad that controls a pointer on screen.
Word family
Commonly confused: trackpad or trackball?
trackpad vs trackball
A trackball has a rolling ball that you move with your thumb or fingers, while a trackpad is a flat surface you slide across.
Practice
I left my mouse at home, so I will have to use the ___ on my laptop.
Choose one answer.
A trackpad lets you move the pointer when you have no mouse. The other items are laptop parts that do not control the pointer.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “trackpad”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.