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  • frog
    frog
    noun
    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.
  • Frog
    Frog
    noun
    a derogatory word for a French person
Synonyms

frog

1 American  
[frog, frawg] / frɒg, frɔg /

noun

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. a slight hoarseness, usually caused by mucus on the vocal cords.

    a frog in the throat.

  4. (often initial capital letter) a contemptuous term used to refer to a French person or a person of French descent.

  5. a small holder made of heavy material, placed in a bowl or vase to hold flower stems in position.

  6. a recessed panel on one of the larger faces of a brick or the like.

  7. Music. nut.


verb (used without object)

  • frogs,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • frogged,
    past participle,  past
  • frogging
    present participle
  1. to hunt and catch frogs.

adjective

  1. (often initial capital letter) French or Frenchlike.

frog 2 American  
[frog, frawg] / frɒg, frɔg /

noun

  1. an ornamental fastening for the front of a coat, consisting of a button and a loop through which it passes.

  2. a sheath suspended from a belt and supporting a scabbard.


frog 3 American  
[frog, frawg] / frɒg, frɔg /

noun

  1. Railroads. a device at the intersection of two tracks to permit the wheels and flanges on one track to cross or branch from the other.


frog 4 American  
[frog, frawg] / frɒg, frɔg /

noun

Zoology.
  1. a triangular mass of elastic, horny substance in the middle of the sole of the foot of a horse or related animal.


frog 1 British  
/ frɒɡ /

noun

  1. 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

  2. any of various similar amphibians of related families, such as the tree frog

  3. any spiked or perforated object used to support plant stems in a flower arrangement

  4. a recess in a brick to reduce its weight

  5. phlegm on the vocal cords that affects one's speech

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) to hunt or catch frogs

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
frog 2 British  
/ frɒɡ /

noun

  1. (often plural) a decorative fastening of looped braid or cord, as on the front of a 19th-century military uniform

  2. a loop or other attachment on a belt to hold the scabbard of a sword, etc

  3. music

    1. 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

    2. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): nut.  the end of a violin bow that is held by the player

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Frog 3 British  
/ frɒɡ /

noun

  1. a derogatory word for a French person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

frog 4 British  
/ frɒɡ /

noun

  1. a tough elastic horny material in the centre of the sole of a horse's foot

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

frog 5 British  
/ frɒɡ /

noun

  1. a grooved plate of iron or steel placed to guide train wheels over an intersection of railway lines

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Sensitive Note

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of frog1

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

Origin of frog2

First recorded in 1710–20; perhaps from Portuguese froco, from Latin floccus “tuft of wool”; see flock 2

Origin of frog3

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; of uncertain origin

Origin of frog4

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

Explanation

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.

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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:

Suddenly, the frog jumped out of the pot.

From Slate Sep. 8, 2026

They also examined external features, skeletal anatomy, and frog calls.

From Science Daily Aug. 30, 2026

The other is an extinct species of tree frog in Florida, according to the museum’s news release.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 7, 2026

Brittany Harris-Nelson describes her career journey so far as being like "a frog moving across lily pads".

From BBC Jul. 14, 2026

The rotor croaked like a stepped-on frog, but dang—pretty impressive for a rush job.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

While Parton’s most obvious Muppet counterpart is Miss Piggy, her duet with Kermit the Frog, performed on a 1987 episode of her variety show, encapsulates everything we adored about her — and him.

From Salon Aug. 29, 2026

Curry also starred in the 1996 film Muppet Treasure Island alongside Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog.

From BBC Aug. 27, 2026

In front of each row stands a smiling Kermit the Frog, happy to play her photographer.

From Salon Feb. 28, 2026

And then there are the Frog Lake huts themselves, which are modern and cozy, with heat, electricity, beds, bathrooms and a full kitchen.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 18, 2026

The Frog jumped up to a speed of four and a half knots.

From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen

I pivoted back to the overlook, where a beautiful white ibis was hunting for frogs.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 18, 2026

To sort out the identities of these frogs, researchers combined field observations, museum specimens, and advanced DNA analysis.

From Science Daily Aug. 30, 2026

Many diamond frogs live in forests that are becoming increasingly fragmented by deforestation.

From Science Daily Aug. 30, 2026

It’s not clear when the trafficked animals might join the roughly 12,000 turtles, frogs, octopuses, penguins, sharks and other sea creatures currently on public display.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 28, 2026

“A group of frogs is called an army, not a swarm,” Olivia answered with a smug smile.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Crisp autumn weather had come to Washington, and Harry Truman caught a cold that frogged his throat at times.

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

As a Cathedral Dean he wears four frogged buttons on his cuff There are six buttons on his cutaway coat.

From Time Magazine Archive

From Windsor with his good wife and the Prince of Wales he drove through the rain in a landau drawn by six perfectly matched greys mounted by postillions in scarlet coats frogged with gold.

From Time Magazine Archive

The strange thing about them was their clothing, for the boys were dressed in the straight trousers and the frogged and braided jackets of the Chinese.

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

He had probably crept up from behind, while old long-shanks was quietly frogging along the shore.

From Happy Days for Boys and Girls by Various

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