Padding is extra material added to make something softer, thicker, or more protective. When you wear knee pads for skateboarding, the padding cushions your knees if you fall. Football players wear shoulder pads with thick padding to absorb the impact of tackles. Furniture makers add padding to chairs and couches so they're comfortable to sit on instead of hard and unforgiving.

The word also means unnecessary material added to make something longer or seem more substantial. When a student writes an essay and uses wordy phrases like “due to the fact that” instead of just “because,” they're padding their paper to reach the required length. A movie might have padding in the form of scenes that drag on without advancing the story. In these cases, padding wastes time without adding real value.

Sometimes padding refers to falsifying records. If someone pads their resume, they exaggerate their accomplishments or add qualifications they don't actually have. A dishonest accountant might pad an expense report by claiming costs that never happened. This kind of padding is a form of cheating that damages trust.