toad
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.
Origin of toad
1Other words from toad
- toadish, toadlike, adjective
- toad·ish·ness, noun
- toadless, adjective
Words that may be confused with toad
- frog, toad
Words Nearby toad
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 NewsIsland 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 NewsFemale 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 NewsSome 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 NewsIn 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.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTIt is a combination of the words cesso (toilet) and rospo (toad).
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 WillsThe thick torso of a man who squatted like a toad could be seen partly emerging from the shrubs.
Tressan was ugly as a toad, the most absurd, ridiculous bridegroom that ever led woman to the altar.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniHis face was, moreover, mottled with dusky spots, so that he reminded the spectator of a frog or a toad.
Overland | John William De ForestThe venomous old toad made a supreme effort and whispered, "Suppose she should die?"
Overland | John William De Forest
British Dictionary definitions for toad
/ (təʊd) /
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 skin: Related adjective: batrachian
any of various similar amphibians of different families
a loathsome person
Origin of toad
1Derived forms of toad
- toadish or toadlike, adjective
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
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