touch pad

noun

: a keypad for an electronic device (such as a microwave oven) that consists of a flat surface divided into several differently marked areas which are touched to choose options

Examples of touch pad in a Sentence

Press the start button on the touch pad.
Recent Examples on the Web Interior Changes Set The Stage For Top-Shelf Luxury Innovation has long been the hallmark for Lexus: hybrid technology, touch pad controls (which were removed in the 2022 re-design) and the SUV itself; the RX was the first compact luxury SUV on the market and has been a best-seller since. Scotty Reiss, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024 In an era before starting beeps, automatic electronic touch pads at the finish walls and instant replays, international swimming had a complex system of measuring a victory. Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024 By the 1968 Olympic Games, both winter and summer, electronic timing systems were in wide use, including an insulated touch pad for swimming events developed by Bill Parkinson, a physics professor at the University of Michigan. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024 It can be controlled by speaking aloud, tapping a touch pad or projecting a laser display onto the palm of a hand. Photographs and Videos By Kelsey McClellan, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023 There was no starting beep or automatic touch pads or accepted electronic timing or replays, as there are in major swimming competitions now. Frank Litsky, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2023 There looks to be one touch pad on the right controller — by comparison, the Steam Deck has touch pads on both sides — but the back of that right controller also apparently has a wheel. Jay Peters, The Verge, 17 Aug. 2023 In the first phase of the project, kids and visitors to the Field Museum tried their hands at community science — contributing to scientific discoveries not as scientists but as regular citizens — by measuring the tiny leaves of certain plants on a touch pad. Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2022 Podcast host Brian Craig (@BrianCraigShow) offered a similar response and suggested touch pad ordering will be coming soon. Peter Suciu, Forbes, 19 May 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'touch pad.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of touch pad was in 1974

Dictionary Entries Near touch pad

Cite this Entry

“Touch pad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/touch%20pad. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

touch pad

noun
: a keypad for an electronic device (as a microwave oven) that consists of a flat surface divided into several differently marked areas which are touched to choose options
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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