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spadefoot

American  
[speyd-foot] / ˈspeɪdˌfʊt /

noun

  • spadefoots
    plural
  1. spadefoot toad.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of spadefoot

First recorded in 1835–45; spade 1 + foot

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:

"I'm really more of a paleoecologist, paleogeographer, not a taxonomist," says Dr. Cruz, who noticed unusual features in the Tar Pits specimens that distinguished S. labreae from known spadefoot toads.

From Science Daily Aug. 16, 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

Under the right conditions, the spadefoot tadpole will transform into a voracious predator of its own species.

From Scientific American Oct. 30, 2023

Pfennig and his lab members think spadefoot toads have followed that evolutionary trajectory.

From Science Magazine Nov. 28, 2018

The spadefoot toads and turtles and slithering creatures, the chattering of black insects.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

“This is a behavior that breaks all the rules of evolution,” says Karin Pfennig, a biologist at the University of North Carolina who studies the spadefoots.

From New York Times Aug. 14, 2014

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