wad

[ wod ]

/ wɒd /

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See synonyms for: wad / wadded / wadding / wadder 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.

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Idioms about wad

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

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English wadde “small bundle of straw used as a pad beneath a horse’s girth to prevent chafing,” from Medieval Latin wadda; further origin uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM wad

wadder, nounun·wad·ded, adjective

Words nearby wad

wack job, wacko, wacky, wacky tobacky, Waco, wad, WADA, wadable, Wadai, Waddenzee, Waddesdon Manor

Other definitions for wad (2 of 2)

wad²

[ 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. 2023

How to use wad in a sentence

She threw some clothes into a bag, along with her passport, two mobile phones and a wad of cash before climbing into a taxi with her brother and father.
What Afghanistan’s Women Stand to Lose|Amie Ferris-Rotman|August 20, 2021|Time
To reach the 150-year-old mark, you might need to live in an environment free of stressors — and a wad of cash to cover what will be costly treatments.
What Does It Mean to Live Forever?|Josefina Salomon|August 15, 2021|Ozy
To wipe before returning to your outdoor shenanigans, you might need extra practice holding back the fabric layers with one hand while the other wields a pee rag or wad of toilet paper.
Tested: Pants You Can Pee In|Claire Barber|June 24, 2021|Outside Online
As our mouths water, saliva not only softens and shapes food into wads but also helps us swallow them.
Cool Jobs: Saliva offers a spitting image of our health|Kathiann Kowalski|May 6, 2021|Science News For Students

Those wads were designed to soak up excess saliva during dental procedures.
Simpler, easier COVID-19 test developed with kids in mind|Kathiann Kowalski|May 6, 2021|Science News For Students
He licked them up with a slick bronzy tongue and spat a thick wad of honey-brown juice into the empty teacup.
Short Stories from The Daily Beast: Four Hundred Grand|Elliot Ackerman|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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
Got through the partition door; he had even thought to block the snap-lock with a paper wad.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
In fact, I don't believe old Uncle Charlie ever meant me to come in for all his wad.
The Everlasting Arms|Joseph Hocking
They waste mair in yae day, whiles, than wad keep your family or mine for a whole year.
The Underworld|James C. Welsh
Then rub a little charcoal powder over the pricked pattern with a wad of soft cotton-wool.
Harper's Young People, November 30, 1880|Various
When they carried out the coffins, she sprang up gin she wad follow them, but was putten back to bed again.
The Underworld|James C. Welsh

British Dictionary definitions for wad (1 of 2)

wad¹

/ (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 of wad

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)

wad²

/ (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

wad

Idioms about wad

Origin of wad

OTHER WORDS FROM wad

Words nearby wad

Other definitions for wad (2 of 2)

Origin of wad

Words related to wad

How to use wad in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wad (1 of 2)

Derived forms of wad

Word Origin for wad

British Dictionary definitions for wad (2 of 2)

Word Origin for wad