toad

[ tohd ]

/ toʊd /

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noun

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.Compare frog¹ (def. 1).

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.Compare frog¹ (def. 2).

any of various toadlike animals, as certain lizards.

a person or thing as an object of disgust or aversion.

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Origin of toad

before 1000; Middle English tode,Old English tāde, tādi(g)e

OTHER WORDS FROM toad

toadish, toadlike, adjectivetoad·ish·ness, nountoadless, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH toad

frog, toad

Words nearby toad

tnpk., TNT, T number, to, toa, toad, toad bug, toadeater, to a degree, toadfish, toadflax

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use toad in a sentence

Another possibility is the toads are smaller due to a dietary deficiency, or maybe the climate isn’t quite right for the toads to reach full size.
Guttural toads shrank by a third after just 100 years on two islands|Jake Buehler|November 19, 2020|Science News
Island toads were quite a bit smaller than the roughly 7-centimeter-long toads in Durban.
Guttural toads shrank by a third after just 100 years on two islands|Jake Buehler|November 19, 2020|Science News
Female toads measured on average about 34 percent shorter on Mauritius and 26 percent shorter on Réunion.
Guttural toads shrank by a third after just 100 years on two islands|Jake Buehler|November 19, 2020|Science News
Some snakes eat toads by politely swallowing the creatures whole.
This snake rips a hole in living toads’ stomachs to feast on their organs|Erin Garcia de Jesus|October 2, 2020|Science News

In 2018, he discovered bombardier beetles can force toads to vomit them back up.
Some beetles can be eaten by a frog, then walk out the other end|Jonathan Lambert|September 4, 2020|Science News For Students
In May, the head of Guerreros Unidos, Mario Casarrubias Salgado, aka the Beautiful Toad, was arrested.
Mexico’s First Lady of Murder Is on the Lam|Michael Daly|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not every estate owner was responsible; inheritance often entailed no more business sense than a Bertie Wooster or Mr. Toad.
The Sad Fate of ‘Downton Abbey’ Estates: ‘Felling the Ancient Oaks’|Anthony Paletta|June 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It is a combination of the words cesso (toilet) and rospo (toad).
‘Jersey Shore’ Guide to Italian|Jaimie Etkin|August 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In the old days every great man kept a toad-eater; sometimes his functions were highly paid—Wolff's are, I fancy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The thick torso of a man who squatted like a toad could be seen partly emerging from the shrubs.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Tressan was ugly as a toad, the most absurd, ridiculous bridegroom that ever led woman to the altar.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
His face was, moreover, mottled with dusky spots, so that he reminded the spectator of a frog or a toad.
Overland|John William De Forest
The venomous old toad made a supreme effort and whispered, "Suppose she should die?"
Overland|John William De Forest

British Dictionary definitions for toad

toad

/ (təʊd) /

noun

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 skinRelated adjective: batrachian

any of various similar amphibians of different families

a loathsome person

Derived forms of toad

toadish or toadlike, adjective

Word Origin for toad

Old English tādige, of unknown origin; see tadpole

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

toad

Origin of toad

OTHER WORDS FROM toad

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH toad

Words nearby toad

Words related to toad

How to use toad in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for toad

Derived forms of toad

Word Origin for toad