paddock

/ˈpædək/

/ˈpætək/

Other forms: paddocks

A paddock is an area that holds racehorses before a race. Jockeys get the horses ready to go in the paddock.

If you've ever gone to a horse race, or seen a race like the Kentucky Derby on TV, you've seen a paddock. This is the pen for the horses, where they hang out before racing. In the paddock, horses are saddled and paraded around by their jockeys. Two other meanings of paddock are related: one is a field for horses on a farm, and the other is an area for race cars to prepare before a race.

Definitions of paddock

1. noun

   pen where racehorses are saddled and paraded before a race
   type of:

   pen

   an enclosure for confining livestock