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
The discovery is helping to clear up a long-standing mystery as to when frogs and toads evolved their iconic two-stage life-cycle.
—
Nina Turner, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Cases in which tadpoles are nearly as big or bigger than their adult forms are rare in frogs and toads today.
—Christie Wilcox, science.org, 30 Oct. 2024
This 161-million-year-old specimen sheds light on the evolution of frogs and toads.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2024
These toads may reallocate energy from activity to dealing with the stress of light exposure.
—Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for toad 
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Nina Turner, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Cases in which tadpoles are nearly as big or bigger than their adult forms are rare in frogs and toads today.
—Christie Wilcox, science.org, 30 Oct. 2024
This 161-million-year-old specimen sheds light on the evolution of frogs and toads.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2024
These toads may reallocate energy from activity to dealing with the stress of light exposure.
—Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for toad
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Cite this Entry
“Toad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toad. Accessed 22 Nov. 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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