wad

1 of 2

noun

ˈwäd 

1

: a small mass, bundle, or tuft: such as

a

: a soft mass especially of a loose fibrous material variously used (as to stop an aperture, pad a garment, or hold grease around an axle)

b(1)

: a soft plug used to retain a powder charge or to avoid windage especially in a muzzle-loading gun

(2)

: a felt or paper disk used to separate the components of a shotgun cartridge

c

: a small mass of a chewing substance

a wad of gum

2

: a considerable amount (as of money)

3

a

: a roll of paper money

b

: money

wad

2 of 2

verb

wadded; wadding

transitive verb

1

a

: to insert a wad into

wad a gun

b

: to hold in by a wad

wad a bullet in a gun

2

: to form into a wad or wadding

especially : to roll or crush into a tight wad

3

: to stuff or line with some soft substance

wadder noun

Synonyms

Noun

• abundance
• barrel
• basketful
• boatload
• bucket
• bunch
• bundle
• bushel
• carload
• chunk
• deal
• dozen
• fistful
• gobs
• good deal
• heap
• hundred
• lashings [chiefly British]
• lashins
• loads
• lot
• mass
• mess
• mountain
• much
• multiplicity
• myriad
• oodles
• pack
• passel
• peck
• pile
• plateful
• plenitude
• plentitude
• plenty
• pot
• potful
• profusion
• quantity
• raft
• reams
• scads
• sheaf
• shipload
• sight
• slew
• spate
• stack
• store
• ton
• truckload
• volume
• wealth
• yard

Verb

• agglomerate
• ball
• roll
• round

Examples of wad in a Sentence

Noun

He spent a wad on clothes.

a starlet who usually gets a big wad of publicity for her nonstop antics

Verb

she wadded up the paper and threw it in the wastebasket

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Gift cards can feel like a slightly more personal touch than just tossing a wad of bills at your giftee. —Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 22 Jan. 2025

Still numbed by what just took place less than one hour before, Beth sat alone in a chair in the front yard when a woman, stranger to everyone, walked up to her and placed a wad of $20 bills in her palm, then without a word moved on. —Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025

Verb

In a locker room, cliches about teamwork and selflessness often fly around like the practice jerseys that are wadded up and tossed into massive piles atop rolling carts. —David Aldridge, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024

Simply tear off a sheet of heavy-duty foil, wad it up to form a homemade scouring pad, and get to scrubbing. —Darcy Lenz, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English wadde, from Medieval Latin wadda

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

wad

1 of 2 noun

ˈwäd 

1

: a small mass, bundle, or tuft

a wad of cotton

2

: a soft pad or plug used to hold a powder charge in a gun or cartridge

3

a

: a roll of paper money

b

: a large amount (as of money)

spent a wad on clothes

wad

2 of 2 verb

wadded; wadding

1

: to form into a wad or wadding

wad up a handkerchief

2

: to stuff or line with soft material