Definition of waddingnext
as in filling
soft material that is used to fill the hollow parts of something the last step is to fill the pillow with wadding and stitch it closed

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wadding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of wad
as in rolling
to form into a round compact mass she wadded up the paper and threw it in the wastebasket took the paper off the straw and wadded it up

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wadding
Noun
The star wore a Schiaparelli skirt set resembling rippling sand dunes through multiple layers of wadding and sandy shades. — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026 Lightweight knitwear, raw-edge brocades, stiff satin, dark sequins, 3D textural manipulations and exposed wadding will also feature in the collection. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 16 Jan. 2026 The cellulosic cattail fiber is spun into wadding with a 20 percent binder currently made from a biodegradable poly filament, as used to secure those fibers together. — Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 24 Nov. 2025 The wadding that created those poofy numbers is made of sustainable wool, for example. — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2023 The kit comes with everything your astronaut friend needs, except for engines and recovery wadding. — Matt Jancer, Wired, 17 Nov. 2021 Dummy bullets had been replaced with cardboard wadding, but a portion from one of the dummy bullets had broken off and remained in the gun. — Melissa Mahtani, CNN, 25 Oct. 2021 However, even blanks can eject hot gases and paper or plastic wadding from the barrel that can be lethal at close range. — Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2021 Even blanks can eject hot gases and paper or plastic wadding from the barrel that can be lethal at close range. — CBS News, 23 Oct. 2021
Verb
The pieces are ultra-light, and eco-friendly, mixing recycled down and wadding padding. — Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026 Dryer balls also help prevent the duvet from wadding up on one side of the machine. — Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 31 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wadding
Noun
  • Services include dental exams, cleanings, fillings, extractions and root canals, along with hearing evaluations and free hearing aids.
    — Jessica Riley, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In August, human remains, including a jawbone with teeth and dental fillings and rib bones, were discovered at Boulder Beach in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • But Roger remembers the particular discipline of working on low-budget film productions, when stock and time were precious and rolling the camera was consequential.
    — Callum McLennan, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The rolling pizza party is just one example of how deeply the dish has become woven into New Haven's identity.
    — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Pack smarter and travel happier with a set of three packing cubes in beautiful, coordinating Indigo patterns to keep clothes, shoes, accessories and travel items organized and easy to find.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • This 20,000-square-foot campus in Englewood, housed in a former mattress factory, will have much more space for food packing and cold storage.
    — Kathleen Toner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Halpin watched the ball clear the wall in right-center then launched his bat over his head and into the sky before rounding the bases.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Cynthia Erivo is rounding out her cast of magical beings with the latest Bad Fairies news, which announced live on Thursday at the Hollywood Bowl.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • With an average oil tank of 275 gallons, a fill up will cost about $1,600.
    — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Kerry McCoy’s guitar juices up a mid-song gallop by abruptly pivoting from big and noisy to compressed and snarling; at the climax, everything cuts out for a second to spotlight a Daniel Tracy drum fill.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • With the Bombers’ bullpen depleted, the junk-balling lefty didn’t allow a baserunner while recording a three-inning save after Cole hit the showers.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The second-year wide receiver, who spent 2025 on the Panthers’ practice squad after a short stint with the Cleveland Browns, has been balling this summer — no matter who has been throwing him the ball.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 4 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • But a team of about eight Sherpas could do it – using foam padding and a special stretcher that cocoons the body, Dawa said.
    — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
  • To play the role, Cruise, as is his custom, has gone all in for the role and drastically transformed his appearance with facial prosthetics, thinning hair and belly-forward padding.
    — Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Wadding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wadding. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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