wads 1 of 2

plural of wad
1
as in loads
a considerable amount a starlet who usually gets a big wad of publicity for her nonstop antics

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2

wads

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of wad
as in rounds
to form into a round compact mass she wadded up the paper and threw it in the wastebasket took the paper off the straw and wadded it up

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wads
Noun
The architects picked numbers out of a bowl to determine which of the 100 sites was theirs, and before flying home they were paid for their designs with wads of cash. — Fred A. Bernstein, Architectural Digest, 4 Nov. 2026 Nestled deep among the wads of shredded paper and other bric-a-brac, the occupants made not a squeak, concealed to anyone who looked through the carrier’s door. — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 21 Sep. 2026 Photos apparently taken by the men themselves show wads of cash on the seat of a car, in a plastic bag and in stacks on the floor of a location in New York. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 1 July 2026 The alpha heroes of 1980s romances—ranch owners, corporate raiders, anyone played by Michael Douglas—tended to be emotionally constipated anti-feminists intent on dominating the opposite sex by using testosterone and wads of cash. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026 And Lamanna’s coauthor Jingmai O’Connor, vertebrate paleontologist and associate curator of fossil reptiles at Chicago’s Field Museum, also pointed out wads of bone found in the Changma Basin resemble pellets that owls regurgitate after feeding on prey. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 4 June 2026 Not as punishment, but to better know our playing grounds and appreciate the big and small things—like freeing wads of vegetation from an undercarriage—that turn a field into a stage. — CBS News, 1 May 2026 Cubans have long been accustomed to shopping with wads of cash stuffed into bags after compounding bouts of soaring inflation. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 8 Apr. 2026 Our pants had been ripped from brush and windfalls, and wads of insulation were hanging out of mine. — Elwyn "bud" Myers, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wads
Noun
  • Cranes lift 200-ton loads at mountain bridge site The R4300-200 has a maximum lifting capacity of 200 metric tons (220 US tons) and an 80-meter jib (262 feet).
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Its remaining civil rights workers have described untenable case loads and pressure to dismiss complaints.
    — Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Because the vulnerability affects almost 20 years of PHP, big chunks of internet history are in danger of being lost.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Pick from gummy bears, brownie chunks, M&M’s, marshmallows, and more.
    — Lisa Shames, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Campbell, who broke out opposite Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween Ends and currently stars in Netflix’s Below, rounds out the lead cast.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Glassware, including a vintage Christian Dior ice bucket and lowball and highball glasses, rounds out the display.
    — Nicole Gates Anderson, Architectural Digest, 28 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The effect is something like an off-season approximation of a sidewalk, and, your winter climate permitting, sidewalk chalk (tons of it, for $18) is another good option.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The natural gas storage well failed and uncontrollably released nearly 100,000 tons of methane and other substances into the atmosphere for more than 100 days.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl (with the mixer off) and mix on low speed until the dough forms clumps and holds together when squeezed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Examples include toxic protein clumps linked to Alzheimer’s, blood sugar levels in diabetes, blood pressure readings or imaging results from an MRI or CT scan.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Stock up and make these kathi rolls with Trader Joe’s flour tortillas.
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026
  • From there, the train rolls west through Sedalia, Warrensburg, and Lee’s Summit.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Midwest Living, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In Alexandra township, where the road to the River Park Library voting station is filled with potholes, leaking sewage and piles of uncollected waste on the sidewalks, many still came out to cast their ballot.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Tech stocks have sagged as investors grow concerned over their ballooning debt piles at a time of rising interest rates.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Then, in 2007, researchers noted that spidroins engineered in the lab formed liquidlike globs.
    — Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 28 Oct. 2026
  • But globs of liquid mercury worked just fine to show the melting shards coming together, even though its toxicity meant the special effects crew had to wear protective gear over the two-day shoot.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Wads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wads. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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