Illustration of toad
- toad 1
1
: any of numerous anuran amphibians (especially family Bufonidae) that are distinguished from the related frogs by being more terrestrial in habit though returning to water to lay their eggs, by having a build that is squatter and shorter with weaker and shorter hind limbs, and by having skin that is rough, dry, and warty rather than smooth and moist
2
: a contemptible person or thing
Synonyms
- bastard
- beast
- bleeder [British]
- blighter [chiefly British]
- boor
- bounder
- bugger
- buzzard
- cad
- chuff
- churl
- clown
- creep
- cretin
- crud [slang]
- crumb [slang]
- cur
- dirtbag [slang]
- dog
- fink
- heel
- hound
- jerk
- joker
- louse
- lout
- pill
- rat
- rat fink
- reptile
- rotter
- schmuck [slang]
- scum
- scumbag [slang]
- scuzzball [slang]
- skunk
- sleaze
- sleazebag [slang]
- sleazeball [slang]
- slime
- slimeball [slang]
- slob
- snake
- so-and-so
- sod [chiefly British]
- stinkard
- stinker
- swine
- varmint
- vermin
Examples of toad in a Sentence
He's such a mean little toad.
that miserable toad is lucky to have even a single friend
Recent Examples on the Web
Three toads were found pregnant with between 38 and 96 eggs.
—
Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Western toads and tree frogs thrive in the spring water that seeps from the base of an arched alcove fortified with concrete and then into a murky pond where carp cruise beneath a battered life-size rubber duck floating upside down.
—Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Other conservation efforts have included protecting the rainforest habitats of cotton-top tamarins in Colombia through Proyecto Titi, repatriating white rhinos to Uganda, and reintroducing Puerto Rican crested toads back to the wild.
—USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024
While their slimy coatings deter some would-be-predators, raccoons, opossums, snakes, moles, toads, shrews, turtles, ground beetles, and birds, such as ducks, starlings, and thrushes, devour them with gusto.
—Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 29 Feb. 2024
However, at the time, its discoverers mistakenly thought the frog was a toad, hence its name.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
The smallest individual male flea toad measured in the study was 6.45 millimeters long.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024
The toads in western Ecuador sounded different and had distinct physical features, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024
Emily Alpert Reyes | (TNS) Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES — At the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, scientists are eager to explore whether a psychedelic chemical found in a toad could help people whose depression has not eased with typical treatments.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2024
Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Western toads and tree frogs thrive in the spring water that seeps from the base of an arched alcove fortified with concrete and then into a murky pond where carp cruise beneath a battered life-size rubber duck floating upside down.
—Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Other conservation efforts have included protecting the rainforest habitats of cotton-top tamarins in Colombia through Proyecto Titi, repatriating white rhinos to Uganda, and reintroducing Puerto Rican crested toads back to the wild.
—USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024
While their slimy coatings deter some would-be-predators, raccoons, opossums, snakes, moles, toads, shrews, turtles, ground beetles, and birds, such as ducks, starlings, and thrushes, devour them with gusto.
—Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 29 Feb. 2024
However, at the time, its discoverers mistakenly thought the frog was a toad, hence its name.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
The smallest individual male flea toad measured in the study was 6.45 millimeters long.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024
The toads in western Ecuador sounded different and had distinct physical features, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024
Emily Alpert Reyes | (TNS) Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES — At the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, scientists are eager to explore whether a psychedelic chemical found in a toad could help people whose depression has not eased with typical treatments.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'toad.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Toad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toad. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
toad
noun
: any of numerous tailless leaping amphibians that lay their eggs in water and are distinguished from the related frogs by living on land more often, by having a build that is shorter and thicker with weaker and shorter hind limbs, and by having skin that is rough, dry and warty rather than smooth and moist
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