toad

noun

ˈtōd 

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

Illustration of toad

• toad 1

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

Those include bird species — Least Bell’s Vireo and coastal cactus wren — and Western spadefoot, an amphibian sometimes referred to as a toad that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services is proposing be listed as an endangered species. —Lauren J. Mapp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024

Enter caecilians, wormlike relatives of frogs, toads, and salamanders that live primarily in tropical areas. —Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024

Female frogs and toads are usually larger than their male counterparts, since larger sizes are tied to reproductive success, the study authors write. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024

The toads are named after Guangxi, the autonomous region in southern China where the reserve is located. —Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024

Three toads were found pregnant with between 38 and 96 eggs. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024

Western toads and tree frogs thrive in the spring water that seeps from the base of an arched alcove fortified with concrete and then into a murky pond where carp cruise beneath a battered life-size rubber duck floating upside down. —Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024

Other conservation efforts have included protecting the rainforest habitats of cotton-top tamarins in Colombia through Proyecto Titi, repatriating white rhinos to Uganda, and reintroducing Puerto Rican crested toads back to the wild. —USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024

While their slimy coatings deter some would-be-predators, raccoons, opossums, snakes, moles, toads, shrews, turtles, ground beetles, and birds, such as ducks, starlings, and thrushes, devour them with gusto. —Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tode, from Old English tāde, tādige

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing toad

• African clawed toad
• cane toad
• clawed toad
• giant toad
• horned toad
• marine toad
• spadefoot toad
• toad-in-the-hole
• tree toad

Kids Definition

toad

noun

ˈtōd 

: 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