toad
Americannoun
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toads
plural
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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.
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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.
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any of various toadlike animals, as certain lizards.
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a person or thing as an object of disgust or aversion.
noun
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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
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any of various similar amphibians of different families
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a loathsome person
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of toad
before 1000; Middle English tode, Old English tāde, tādi ( g ) e
Explanation
A toad is an amphibian with dry, bumpy skin and no tail. A common myth says that toads will give you warts, but it's not true. Toads are actually a type of frog. They tend to be short and wide, and to have larger eyeballs than typical frogs. Toads also don't jump as high as other frogs, and they don't need to live near water. The typically bumpy skin of toads is what led them to be associated with warts, and this perceived homeliness has made toad a derogatory term: "You're nothing but a horrible old toad!"
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 extinct spadefoot toad, now named Spea labreae, represents the first new extinct amphibian species discovered from the famous fossil site.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
In Nevada, opponents launched a lawsuit over a gold mine they say will threaten a rare toad and fish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Emily Lindsey, curator and excavation site director at the La Brea Tar Pits’ center, said the discovery of the ice age toad is an example of the ongoing discoveries being made at the museum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Meanwhile the team's plan to aid the natterjack toad is to try and figure out how to best reverse the degradation of Cumbria's sand dunes.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Seven knew there was no shame in a cleaning job, but toad sludge smelled horrific and pennies weren’t enough to live or eat on.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
The miracle behind Cruz’s discovery is that amphibians such as frogs, toads and salamanders rarely make it into the fossil records because of their fragile skeletons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
In hard-hit areas like Le Porge, experts say insects will have perished en masse and larger creatures from toads to lizards will not have been spared either.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 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
Last week the government announced several projects it was funding to protect threatened species including a scheme aiming to increase the numbers of northern dune tiger beetles and natterjack toads in Cumbria.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Maybe, but we can’t just hide. Either way, when the sun rises, we’ll be toads if we don’t fight back,” Seven said.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
