wad

\ ˈwäd

\

Definition of wad

(Entry 1 of 2)

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)

3a : a roll of paper money

b : money

wad

verb

wadded; wadding

Definition of wad (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

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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 disgusted, she wadded up the paper and threw it in the wastebasket

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The cheese became a gluey wad that couldn’t be cut and presented an etiquette challenge: leave it in the bowl or eat it whole? — Mike Sutter, ExpressNews.com, "Review: High-end San Antonio restaurant Evo Contemporary Mexican Cuisine has noble approach, humble results in Olmos Park," 23 Jan. 2020 Inside was a card with a wad of cash protruding from it. — cleveland, "A teaching career blooms. What could go wrong?," 12 Apr. 2020 Your friend, the one with the fat wad of banknotes, like an old-school bookmaker, knows different. — The Economist, "Buttonwood The appeal, and the flaws, of cash-based accounting," 20 Feb. 2020 There’s a wet, formative gurgle as someone down the block hocks a magnificent wad of phlegm into the street. — Cassandra Landry, SFChronicle.com, "Inside the astrology craze: The search for self in the new New Age.," 24 Oct. 2019 Courtright said before putting a wad of cash into his pocket, Consiglio said. — Washington Post, "Ex-mayor pleads guilty to corruption day after resignation," 2 July 2019 Money changers with wads of cash sit under billboards advertising telecom companies promising cheap data and international call rates. — Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, "‘I Feel Strong and Free’: Running Takes Hold Among Women in Somaliland," 18 Mar. 2020 The trauma of losing both parents nearly led to his own early death, brought on by an addiction to Benzedrex inhaler wads washed down with root beer, cough syrup, and alcohol. — Stuart Franklin, The New York Review of Books, "Ellroy Confidential," 10 Mar. 2020 In one instance, Beckham handed out what looked to be wads of cash to a number of LSU players. — cleveland, "Does Odell Beckham Jr.’s production make everything else worth it?," 19 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wad.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.