wad

noun

\ 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

Other Words from wad Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about wad

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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

Surveillance footage shows a man in an orange Texas Longhorns hoodie, blue sweatpants, white socks and red Nike sandals holding a black and silver handgun and a wad of cash near the register. — Sara Coello, Dallas News, "Garland police searching for armed man who robbed gas station in Longhorns sweatshirt," 13 Aug. 2019 Perhaps this explains why the whales of the world keep beaching themselves and expiring with wads of plastic in their guts, a kind of gruesome global protest. — Rowan Jacobsen, Outside Online, "An Ocean Plastics Field Trip for Corporate Executives," 8 Aug. 2019 Then one day, just after 4,000 baht — about $125 — went missing from Tapanat’s room, the couple’s teenage daughter found Pheeranut’s mother with an unusually large wad of bills in her pocket. — Shashank Bengalistaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Column One: Young Thai boxer looks like a lollipop, stings like a bee," 30 July 2019 In that seal, the eagle clutches golf clubs and what appears to be a wad of money in its talons. — Sarah Mervosh, BostonGlobe.com, "How Trump ended up onstage with a fake presidential seal," 25 July 2019 This cake, with its tart bite of rosemary lemon curd between moist, dense layers (a great, heavy wad stuck to my fork when held upside-down), and light-handed lacquer of buttercream was, in this world of overstuffed whoopie pies, simple perfection. — Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, "“Sette" it off: Stellar service, serious portions in the Ivanhood | Review," 17 July 2019 McNair isn’t holding a wad of cash earmarked for Bush. — Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, "As the NCAA readies its case, Arizona should brace for the worst (just ask USC)," 13 June 2019 Their families had scraped together wads of cash for traffickers who had promised their sons jobs at a luxury hotel in Amman. — Ellen Barry, New York Times, "Terrorists Killed 12 Nepalese Men. Was an American Military Contractor to Blame?," 15 June 2018 If your pet acquires a taste for trees (either real or fake), enough needles can form a wad in the GI tract and cause an obstruction. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "5 Holiday Plants That Are Way More Toxic Than Poinsettias to Cats and Dogs," 14 Dec. 2018

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.