any tailless, stout-bodied amphibian of the order Anura, including the smooth, moist-skinned frog species that live in a damp or semiaquatic habitat and the warty, drier-skinned toad species that are mostly terrestrial as adults.
Also called true frog,. Also called ranid. any frog of the widespread family Ranidae, most members of which are semiaquatic and have smooth, moist skin and relatively long hind legs used for leaping.
a slight hoarseness, usually caused by mucus on the vocal cords.
a frog in the throat.
(often initial capital letter) a contemptuous term used to refer to a French person or a person of French descent.
a small holder made of heavy material, placed in a bowl or vase to hold flower stems in position.
a recessed panel on one of the larger faces of a brick or the like.
Music. nut.
an ornamental fastening for the front of a coat, consisting of a button and a loop through which it passes.
a sheath suspended from a belt and supporting a scabbard.
any insectivorous anuran amphibian of the family Ranidae , such as Rana temporaria of Europe, having a short squat tailless body with a moist smooth skin and very long hind legs specialized for hopping
any of various similar amphibians of related families, such as the tree frog
any spiked or perforated object used to support plant stems in a flower arrangement
a recess in a brick to reduce its weight
phlegm on the vocal cords that affects one's speech
(often plural) a decorative fastening of looped braid or cord, as on the front of a 19th-century military uniform
a loop or other attachment on a belt to hold the scabbard of a sword, etc
music
the ledge or ridge at the upper end of the fingerboard of a violin, cello, etc, over which the strings pass to the tuning pegs
Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): nut. the end of a violin bow that is held by the player
The use of the word frog to mean “a French person” is a slur that arose because the French were stereotypically thought of as eating frogs.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English frogge, Old English frogga, frocga; compare dialectal Middle English frosh, Old Norse froskr, Old High German frosk ( German Frosch ); frog 1 defs. 5, 6 of unclear derivation
First recorded in 1710–20; perhaps from Portuguese froco, from Latin floccus “tuft of wool”; see flock 2
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; of uncertain origin
First recorded in 1600–10; compare earlier frush in same sense, probably from French fourchette “fork” ( see fourchette); presumably identified with dialectal frosh “frog,” hence with frog 1
A frog is a small amphibian with long back legs that allow it to hop. Most frogs have fat little bodies and bulging eyes on top of their heads. You'll often find frogs near fresh water lakes and ponds, since they lay their eggs in the water. Perhaps the most famous literary frog is the one from the German fairy tale "The Frog Prince," in which a princess's kiss transforms a frog back into the prince he once was. Frog is also a very rude informal term for a person from France.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A frog that became an internet sensation because of its trademark squeaky defensive call has been added to a global list of species at high risk of extinction.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Preserved within the cave were fossils belonging to 12 bird species and four frog species, offering a rare snapshot of a world that existed hundreds of thousands of years before humans reached the islands.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
On Monday evening, Trump posted on social media an image of a protester dressed in a frog costume holding a sign that said, “First They Came for the Algae.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Drake is the frog that’s been struck by lightning.
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
Inside, Boo is holding on to the big stuffed frog, sobbing.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
In front of each row stands a smiling Kermit the Frog, happy to play her photographer.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026
Dave Miller owns International Alpine Guides in June Lake, another professional guide service that runs trips to the Frog Lake huts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
Miss Piggy, her paramour Kermit the Frog, Gonzo, and Fozzie have reunited for the one-off show to mark its 50th birthday, after their beloved film outings such as Muppet Christmas Carol.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026
Henson, who died in 1990, revolutionized puppetry by making the rigid figures maneuverable, latterly through his Creature Shop, creating now-instantly recognizable characters like Kermit the Frog.
From Barron's ● Nov. 20, 2025
So how could someone not have seen the Frog on that scope?
From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen
I don’t understand why kids who are still catching frogs and wearing Yoda pajamas need to be traveling to expensive out of state tournaments like they’re AC Milan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Researchers from Australia and New Zealand have uncovered the remains of ancient birds and frogs that lived around 1 million years ago, including a previously unknown relative of the iconic kākāpō.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
Dagit said they recently found newt egg masses for the first time in years, as well as a few adult newts and many frogs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
During a Netflix documentary about the Reds' success in Istanbul, Gerrard acknowledges he was in a "bad place" mentally, with a head like "a box of frogs".
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
Boyle, for example, could place a lit candle in his globe, or a bird; although insects and frogs could be passed through the mercury into the Torricellian space, flames and birds could not.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Among the cargo were several cases of Stanley's favorite Madeira and a frogged coat which he intended to wear when the white Pasha was sighted.
From Time Magazine Archive
As a Cathedral Dean he wears four frogged buttons on his cuff There are six buttons on his cutaway coat.
From Time Magazine Archive
Dressed up in an elaborate frogged coat and sword, he was honored by budding Novelist Fanny Burney, who praised him as a "lyon of lyons."
From Time Magazine Archive
Crisp autumn weather had come to Washington, and Harry Truman caught a cold that frogged his throat at times.
From Time Magazine Archive
He wore narrow cotton trousers, black heelless slippers, and a frogged Chinese smock.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
When it came to clothing he allowed himself extraordinary freedom, the frogging on uniforms or lace on a dress sketched in thick impasto rather than being laboriously defined.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 26, 2015
And her young protégé Chris Van Hollen hails from the same state as Hoyer — Maryland — complicating any lea- frogging.
From Time ● Dec. 18, 2013
The film has it more or less right: a dark blue coat with silver frogging and braided epaulettes, partnered with skintight white breeches.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 5, 2012
Hence the nod to military influences — the Burberry heritage — presented as a much slimmer, belted jacket or a cardigan fastened with military frogging.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2011
The young men looked handsomely in their gala uniforms of white trousers and gloves, blue coats, and caps set off with plenty of frogging and brass buttons.
From Witch Winnie's Mystery, or The Old Oak Cabinet The Story of a King's Daughter by Champney, Elizabeth W. (Elizabeth Williams)
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.
