padded

Everyday

1. Filled or covered with soft material to make it comfortable or to protect: «a padded jacket», «a padded envelope». tree →
2. (verb, past) Walked softly and quietly: «The cat padded across the floor». tree →
3. Made longer with extra words or material that is not needed: «a padded essay». tree →

In the lessons

In safety and sport: helmets, knee pads and goalkeeper gloves are padded to protect you from bumps. In everyday life: «padded coat», «padded envelope» for posting fragile things. In stories: animals and people «pad» softly on quiet feet.

Examples

• I wore my padded jacket in the snow. tree →
• Send the glasses in a padded envelope. tree →
• Bike helmets are padded inside. tree →
• The cat padded softly across the kitchen. tree →
• The walls of the soft play room are padded. tree →
• My essay was too short, so I padded it out with extra details. tree →
• His padded hands were so clumsy and the nuts were so small that he dropped almost as many as he put in the basket. tree →

Note

Double «d»: padded. «Padded out» (essay) means made longer, often with words that add nothing — teachers prefer clear, full ideas instead. A «padded cell» is a room with soft walls.