wad

[ wod ]

/ wɒd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wad ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small mass, lump, or ball of anything: a wad of paper; a wad of tobacco.

a small mass of cotton, wool, or other fibrous or soft material, used for stuffing, padding, packing, etc.

a roll of something, especially of bank notes.

Informal. a comparatively large stock or quantity of something, especially money: He's got a healthy wad salted away.

a plug of cloth, tow, paper, or the like, used to hold the powder or shot, or both, in place in a gun or cartridge.

British Dialect. a bundle, especially a small one, of hay, straw, etc.

verb (used with object), wad·ded, wad·ding.

to form (material) into a wad.

to roll tightly (often followed by up): He wadded up his cap and stuck it into his pocket.

to hold in place by a wad: They rammed and wadded the shot into their muskets.

to put a wad into; stuff with a wad.

to fill out with or as if with wadding; stuff; pad: to wad a quilt; to wad a speech with useless information.

verb (used without object), wad·ded, wad·ding.

to become formed into a wad: The damp tissues had wadded in his pocket.

Nearby words

wacked-out, wacko, wacky, wacky tobacky, waco, wad, wad medani, wada, wadable, wadai, waddenzee

Idioms

shoot one's wad, Informal.

to spend all one's money: He shot his wad on a new car.
to expend all one's energies or resources at one time: She shot her wad writing her first novel and her second wasn't as good.
Slang: Vulgar. (of a man) to have an orgasm.

Origin of wad

1530–40; < Medieval Latin wadda < Arabic bāṭa'in lining of a garment, batting; compare French ouate, Dutch watte, Swedish vadd

Related forms

wad·der, nounun·wad·ded, adjective

Definition for wad (2 of 2)

wad

[ wod ]

/ wɒd /

noun

a soft, earthy, black to dark-brown mass of manganese oxide minerals.

Origin of wad

First recorded in 1605–15; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wad

HE was arrested for drug trafficking outside the dry cleaners and police found a wad of cash in his left front pocket.
Rob Ford’s Web of Criminal Friends|Michael Daly|November 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Peggy commits a grievous faux pas when she nervously eyes her purse—with a wad of cash inside—next to the sofa.
‘Mad Men’ Returns: A Recap of Season Five|Jace Lacob|April 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He was handsome, flirty, and always had a wad of cash from which he dispensed $10 and $20 bills.
Whitey Bulger’s Women: Inside the Terror and Glamour of His Ex-Girlfriends|T.J. English|June 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A quick glance—a sniff—is all it takes to acknowledge a wad.
Last Look at Munch’s ‘The Scream’ as Painting Is Auctioned for $119M|Blake Gopnik|May 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Justice fronted UCE 48 a wad of 40 hundred-dollar bills to pay the pharmacist.
The Vegas Suicide Mystery|Winston Ross|February 24, 2011|DAILY BEAST
I wad na lat ae ill thoucht o' puir Jeemie inside this auld heid o' mine!
Salted With Fire|George MacDonald
And he wad aye mak an honest baubee whan he cud; for siller was fell scarce at that time o' day amo' the Falconers.
Robert Falconer|George MacDonald
It wad hae been a bonny business, indeed, if I had never had a case in the Court o' Session.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland|Various
I kent hoo it wad be, but I'll tak' jolly guid care ye dinna get anither chance o' castin' up onything o' the sort to me.'
The Guinea Stamp|Annie S. Swan
Abu Anga now collected all his forces, in order to revenge the defeat of Wad Arbab.
Fire and Sword in the Sudan|Rudolf C. Slatin

British Dictionary definitions for wad (1 of 2)

wad

/ (wɒd) /

noun

a small mass or ball of fibrous or soft material, such as cotton wool, used esp for packing or stuffing

a plug of paper, cloth, leather, etc, pressed against a charge to hold it in place in a muzzle-loading cannon
a disc of paper, felt, pasteboard, etc, used to hold in place the powder and shot in a shotgun cartridge

a roll or bundle of something, esp of banknotes

US and Canadian slang a large quantity, esp of money

British dialect a bundle of hay or straw

British military slang a bunchar and a wad

verb wads, wadding or wadded

to form (something) into a wad

(tr) to roll into a wad or bundle

(tr)

to hold (a charge) in place with a wad
to insert a wad into (a gun)

(tr) to pack or stuff with wadding; pad

Derived Forms

wadder, noun

Word Origin for wad

C14: from Late Latin wadda; related to German Watte cotton wool

British Dictionary definitions for wad (2 of 2)

wad

/ (wɒd) /

noun

a soft dark earthy amorphous material consisting of decomposed manganese minerals: occurs in damp marshy areas

Word Origin for wad

C17: of unknown origin

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