toad
Americannoun
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any of various tailless amphibians that are close relatives of the frogs in the order Anura and that typically have dry, warty skin and are terrestrial or semiterrestrial in habit.
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Also called true toad. a toad of the widespread and chiefly terrestrial family Bufonidae, having relatively short hind legs used in hopping and often having at the shoulders swellings containing glands that, along with the skin, secrete an irritating fluid in defense.
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any of various toadlike animals, as certain lizards.
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a person or thing as an object of disgust or aversion.
noun
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any anuran amphibian of the class Bufonidae, such as Bufo bufo ( common toad ) of Europe. They are similar to frogs but are more terrestrial, having a drier warty skin
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any of various similar amphibians of different families
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a loathsome person
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of toad
before 1000; Middle English tode, Old English tāde, tādi ( g ) e
Explanation
A toad is an amphibian with dry, bumpy skin and no tail. A common myth says that toads will give you warts, but it's not true. Toads are actually a type of frog. They tend to be short and wide, and to have larger eyeballs than typical frogs. Toads also don't jump as high as other frogs, and they don't need to live near water. The typically bumpy skin of toads is what led them to be associated with warts, and this perceived homeliness has made toad a derogatory term: "You're nothing but a horrible old toad!"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The team analysed water samples from Mersehead, where the natterjack toad survives, and other sites.
From BBC • May 31, 2026
Aside from its dramatic claws, the insect's body shares similarities with modern Gelastocoridae, also called toad bugs, which are land-dwelling predators.
From Science Daily • May 25, 2026
Presidents came and went while Hoover sat in FBI headquarters like an all-seeing toad.
From Salon • Oct. 19, 2025
"I put a toad in a pothole – not a real toad – and wrote: 'This is my favourite Sunday dish.' And people either get it or they don't."
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2024
“No! I’m not a thief! I was following a rude horned toad and it dropped it.”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
