tad

noun

ˈtad 

1

: a small or insignificant amount or degree : bit

might give him some water and a tad to eat

—C. T. Walker

2

: a small child

especially : boy

Phrases

a tad

: somewhat, rather

looked a tad bigger than me

—Larry Hodgson

Synonyms

• bit
• little
• sprinkling
• splash
• glimmer
• hint
• shred
• touch
• speck

Examples of tad in a Sentence

there's more than just a tad of hyperbole in the critics' praise for the promising young pianist

grandfather never tires of telling us about the days when he was just a tad

Recent Examples on the Web

David Beckham fans may have been a tad concerned Friday when his wife Victoria posted a reel of him in a hospital bed. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 30 June 2025

But Hagens is not known for a powerful shot and, a tad undersized, he will be challenged to get to inside ice. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 28 June 2025

Friedland gets just a tad cute on us, near the end, in a Valentine’s Day reunion of mother and son. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025

Each pretty much looked the same, just a tad faster. —New Atlas, 23 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from English dialect, toad, from Middle English tode — more at toad

First Known Use

circa 1877, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for tad

• ad
• add
• bad
• brad
• cad
• clad
• dad
• fad
• gad
• glad
• grad
• had

Kids Definition

tad

noun

ˈtad 

1

: boy sense 1

2

: bit entry 2 sense 1