newt

American  

[noot, nyoot] / nut, njut /

noun

newts plural

1. any of several brilliantly colored salamanders of the family Salamandridae, especially those of the genera Triturus and Notophthalmus, of North America, Europe, and northern Asia.

2. any of various other small salamanders.

---

newt British  

/ njuːt /

noun

1. any of various small semiaquatic urodele amphibians, such as Triturus vulgaris ( common newt ) of Europe, having a long slender body and tail and short feeble legs

2. any other urodele amphibian, including the salamanders

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• newts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of newt

1375–1425; late Middle English newte, for ewte (the phrase an ewte being taken as a newte; cf. nickname), variant of evet, Old English efete eft ¹

Explanation

A newt is a small, brightly colored amphibian that spends part of its time on land and the rest in the water. A newt looks like a cross between a frog and a lizard. Newts are a type of salamander that primarily lives on land but also has gills that enable it to occasionally live an aquatic life. The word newt comes from an ewte, and the Old English efte, "small, lizard-like animal." These little lizard-like animals have four short legs, often with webbed toes, and dry skin. When out of the water, newts seek out shady areas where they can stay cool.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

newt newts

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

Now, his own plans to build a pool at his newly-acquired Oxfordshire home may be hampered due to the presence of his old nemesis, the great crested newt.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2023

Here in the Pacific Northwest spring, tiger salamanders emerge from their fossorial homes to breed, and the poisonous rough-skinned newt accelerates its activities with the warming sun.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2023

“It’s such a huge cross-section of people, and we haven’t met a bad one yet,” said Katie Brammer, a graphic designer and newt brigade captain.

From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2023

She was light and watery, like a newt, but all of her parts were human.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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

Possibilities, subject to a public consultation, include badgers and otters as well as frogs, hedgehogs, barn owls and newts.

From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026

“We’ve planted 20,000 trees around the site, we’ve replaced habitats and homes for protected species like bats, newts and badgers and created wildflower meadows specifically for wildlife foraging,” the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025

Creatures including bats, dormice and great crested newts have also been moved.

From BBC ● May 30, 2025

Zeke and Daniel had known her since preschool, when they were teeny, tiny lizards, no bigger than newts, forty percent tail and fifty percent eyes.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

Related Words

• frog
• salamander
• toad