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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, ˈfrɒɡɪ /

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:

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

Scannell puts the challenge vividly: Training an AI on today’s data can be “like trying to train your Waymo for San Francisco by getting a frog to ride a bike around Albuquerque.”

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 12, 2026

The most important thing is to ensure that once the mining has been conducted, the habitat can be returned to a state where the desert rain frog can inhabit it, he said.

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

She plopped the frog on her mother’s arm suddenly.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

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

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

The other whales did the same, their huge dorsal fins flopping over to the side, curving up out of the water as they swam next to the Frog, almost in formation with her.

From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen

A cast member carries a box of chocolate frogs through the train.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 29, 2026

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

The fungus is responsible for chytridiomycosis, a disease that damages the skin of frogs and toads and disrupts their ability to regulate water, salts, and minerals.

From Science Daily Jul. 15, 2026

And like many frogs, even its appeal can become a threat, with some species targeted for the pet trade.

From BBC Jul. 9, 2026

The boys took a few minutes to come up with as many reasons as they could as to why someone would want to drop frogs on the talent show.

From "Hopping Mad (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #4)" by Franklin W. Dixon

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

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

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

She signed to cut the frogging of her habit.

From An Historical Mystery by Wormeley, Katharine Prescott

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