tadpole
Americannoun
-
tadpoles
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tadpole
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English tad(de)pol, equivalent to tad(de) “toad” + pol “head”; toad, poll 1
Explanation
A tadpole is basically a baby frog — it's the larval form of this aquatic animal. Tadpoles are tiny round creatures with long tails and gills for breathing underwater. One of many amazing things about frogs and toads is the transformation they go through during their life cycle. Tadpoles, also called pollywogs, look like tiny fish. During metamorphosis, their gills become lungs, they grow legs, and their tails are absorbed into their bodies. Adult frogs have little resemblance to the tadpoles they once were. Tadpole comes from roots meaning "toad" and "head."
Vocabulary lists containing tadpole
Animals (Zoology) - Introductory
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Animals (Zoology) - Middle School
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Animals (Zoology) - High School
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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.
See Examples For:
In contrast, toads from the struggling population produced far fewer of these protective peptides during the tadpole stage, leaving them less prepared once they matured.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
Scientists have long posited the earliest water animals to transition to land had amphibious tadpole features, going through a metamorphosis akin to that of today's frogs.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
"This image swirls with light, energy and a feeling of synchronised movement between the lilies and the tadpole tails," said Kathy Moran, Jury Chair and Editor.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2024
Scientists have compiled many more nematode connectomes, as well as brain maps of a marine annelid worm, a tadpole, a maggot and an adult fruit fly.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 21, 2023
There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape’s palm.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Young amphibians are largely protected because tadpoles and larvae lack the keratin rich skin that Bd feeds on.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
That's not what we would expect to see in amphibians, whose metamorphosis from tadpoles into adults includes much more dramatic rearranging and development of organs and limbs.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
In another tank, tadpoles are swirling around using simple swimming motions.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 26, 2024
Beneath a floating canopy of lily pads in Cedar Lake, Canada, a swarm of western toad tadpoles glided gracefully through the water.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2024
“It’s a wet, muddy place where tadpoles and lizards live.”
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
