noun
Meaning 1
An amorphous, compact mass.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Our cat loves to play with a small wad of paper.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
wad
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: wŏd
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Received-Pronunciation: /wɒd/
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General-American: wŏd
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General-American: /wɑd/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɒd
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CMU ARPABET: W AA1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A substantial pile (normally of money).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- With a wad of cash like that, she should not have been walking round Manhattan.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A soft plug or seal, particularly as used between the powder and pellets in a shotgun cartridge, or earlier on the charge of a muzzleloader or cannon.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: prop, valet
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A sandwich.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
An ejaculation of semen.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang, vulgar
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
Plumbago, graphite.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, dialectal, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
Any black manganese oxide or hydroxide mineral rich rock in the oxidized zone of various ore deposits.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: chemistry, geography, geology, mineralogy, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
phrase
Meaning 8
Acronym of works as designed.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, humorous
Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
phrase
Meaning 9
Acronym of where's all the data?, commonly used when referring to the video game Doom.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
Topics: computing, engineering, games, gaming, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 10
To crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- She wadded up the scrap of paper and threw it in the trash.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 11
To wager.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Ulster
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 12
To insert or force a wad into.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- to wad a gun
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 13
To stuff or line with some soft substance, or wadding, like cotton.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- to wad a cloak
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 14
a wad of something chewable as tobacco
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: chew, chaw, cud, quid, plug
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: morsel, bit, bite
noun
Meaning 15
(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a batch of letters
- a deal of trouble
- a lot of money
- he made a mint on the stock market
- see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos
- it must have cost plenty
- a slew of journalists
- a wad of money
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: batch, deal, flock, good deal, great deal, hatful, heap, lot, mass, mess, mickle, mint, mountain, muckle, passel, peck, pile, plenty, pot, quite a little, raft, sight, slew, spate, stack, tidy sum
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: large indefinite quantity, large indefinite amount
Narrower terms: flood, inundation, deluge, torrent, haymow
noun
Meaning 16
a small mass of soft material
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he used a wad of cotton to wipe the counter
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: material, stuff
verb
Meaning 17
compress into a wad
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- wad paper into the box
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pack, bundle, compact
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: arrange, set up
Narrower terms: puddle
verb
Meaning 18
crowd or pack to capacity
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the theater was jampacked
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: jam, jampack, ram, chock up, cram
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: stuff
History
Etymology
Probably short for Middle English wadmal (“woolen cloth”), from Old Norse váðmál (“woolen stuff”), from váð (“cloth”) + mál (“measure”). See wadmal. Cognate with Swedish vadd (“wadding, cotton wool”), German Wat, Watte (“wad, padding, cotton wool”), Dutch lijnwaad, gewaad, watten (“cotton wool”), West Frisian waad, Old English wǣd (“garment, clothing”) (English: weed). More at weed, meal.
Across languages
Translations
68 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Czech: chuchvalec — compact mass
- Czech: žvanec — compact mass
- Czech: chomáč — compact mass
- Dutch: prop — compact mass
- Finnish: tuppo — compact mass
- French: tampon — compact mass
- French: boule — compact mass
- Hawaiian: pōpō — compact mass
- Japanese: 固まり (katamari) — compact mass
- Russian: комо́к (komók) — compact mass
- Spanish: montón — compact mass
- Swedish: tuss — compact mass
- Ukrainian: жмуток (žmutok) — compact mass
- Ukrainian: шматок (šmatok) — compact mass
- Bulgarian: па́чка (páčka) — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Czech: balík — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Finnish: nippu — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Finnish: tukku — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Finnish: setelinippu — substantial pile (normally of money)
- French: paquet — substantial pile (normally of money)
- French: liasse — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Hebrew: סְטֵפָה (stéfa) — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Japanese: 束 (taba) — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Polish: plik (banknotów) — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Russian: па́чка (páčka) — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Spanish: fajo — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Swedish: bunt — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Ukrainian: пачка (pačka) — substantial pile (normally of money)
- Chechen: герма (germa) — soft plug
- Czech: ucpávka — soft plug
- Dutch: prop — soft plug
- Finnish: tuppo — soft plug
- French: bourre — soft plug
- French: étoupin — soft plug
- French: bouchon — soft plug
- German: Vorladung — soft plug
- German: Vorschlag — soft plug
- German: Pfropfen — soft plug
- Polish: przybitka — soft plug
- Polish: flejtuch — soft plug
- Russian: пыж (pyž) — soft plug
- Swedish: förladdning — soft plug
- Ukrainian: клейтух (klejtux) — soft plug
- Ukrainian: пиж (pyž) — soft plug
- Finnish: voikku — slang: sandwich — see also sandwich
- Swedish: macka — slang: sandwich — see also sandwich
- Bulgarian: изпразване (izprazvane) — ejaculate
- Finnish: mälli — ejaculate
- French: décharge — ejaculate
- German: Wichse — ejaculate
- Swedish: sats — ejaculate
- Bulgarian: смачквам на топка (smačkvam na topka) — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- Czech: zmuchlat — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- Czech: zmačkat — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- Finnish: rypistää — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- Finnish: puristaa — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- Finnish: puristaa kokoon — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- French: rouler en boule — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- French: capitonner — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- French: boucher — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- French: rembourrer — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- German: zerknüllen — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- German: verkrumpeln — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- Hawaiian: hoʻopōpō — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- Persian: مچاله کردن (močâle kardan) — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- Russian: комкать (komkatʹ) — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- Russian: скомкать (skomkatʹ) — to crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball
- Czech: vycpat — to stuff with soft substance