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Definition of toad
toad
/toʊd/
toad
Plural:toads
toad Lexical Profile
CEFR
A2
Grade
3
Tier
1
Usage
Top 5k
toad Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
Scrabble UK
WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
A tailless amphibian belonging to the order Anura, typically characterized by a stout body, short legs, and dry, warty skin.
Example
"The children carefully examined the large brown toad resting under the damp hosta leaves in the garden."
2
A contemptible, detestable, or sycophantic person.
Example
"She eventually realized that her charming colleague was actually a deceitful toad willing to sabotage others for a promotion."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for toadWord Nuance & Usage
While colloquially grouped with frogs, toads are biologically distinguished by their dry, leathery, bumpy skin and shorter legs adapted for walking rather than leaping.
• Rhymes for toad
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'tāde' or 'tādiġe', a word of unknown origin that appears to be uniquely British Germanic.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Toad. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/toad