toad
Americannoun
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toads
plural
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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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
In Nevada, opponents launched a lawsuit over a gold mine they say will threaten a rare toad and fish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The spadefoot toad, or Spea labreae, is one of only two ice age amphibians to have been found in the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
At one lake, the toad population was still declining and had nearly disappeared.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
Meanwhile the team's plan to aid the natterjack toad is to try and figure out how to best reverse the degradation of Cumbria's sand dunes.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
But we lived in the land of the toads and needed toad papers.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Animals expected to benefit include native British species such as brown hares, hedgehogs, great crested newts, common toads and the Small Heath butterfly, a spokesperson for the company said.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Leaving a trail of destruction in their wake are introduced pests: fire ants, cane toads, rabbits, foxes, feral cats.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The miracle behind Cruz’s discovery is that amphibians such as frogs, toads and salamanders rarely make it into the fossil records because of their fragile skeletons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
In hard-hit areas like Le Porge, experts say insects will have perished en masse and larger creatures from toads to lizards will not have been spared either.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Death is the common right of toads and men.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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