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)
3
a
: a roll of paper money
b
: money
wadded; wadding
1
a
: 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
wadder
noun
Synonyms
Noun
- abundance
- barrel
- basketful
- boatload
- bucket
- bunch
- bundle
- bushel
- carload
- chunk
- deal
- dozen
- fistful
- gobs
- good deal
- heap
- hundred
- lashings [chiefly British]
- lashins
- loads
- lot
- mass
- mess
- mountain
- much
- multiplicity
- myriad
- oodles
- pack
- passel
- peck
- pile
- plateful
- plenitude
- plentitude
- plenty
- pot
- potful
- profusion
- quantity
- raft
- reams
- scads
- sheaf
- shipload
- sight
- slew
- spate
- stack
- store
- ton
- truckload
- volume
- wealth
- yard
Verb
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
she wadded up the paper and threw it in the wastebasket
Recent Examples on the Web
Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 23 July 2024
Sometimes he sang-rapped like had a wad of gum in his mouth, clearly a student of all the early Future tapes.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 Sep. 2024
Anna North, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Fabrics used include pure Irish linen, cotton poplin, techno tulle and wadding, as well as natural yarn blends with modern technical finishes to achieve a lightweight and clean aesthetic.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wad 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
That helps remove some apprehension when dropping wads of cash on a phone with a hinge.
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 23 July 2024
Sometimes he sang-rapped like had a wad of gum in his mouth, clearly a student of all the early Future tapes.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 Sep. 2024
Verb
Still, for many families, the apps are a more efficient mode of communication than, say, a flier wadded up in a kid’s backpack.
—Anna North, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Fabrics used include pure Irish linen, cotton poplin, techno tulle and wadding, as well as natural yarn blends with modern technical finishes to achieve a lightweight and clean aesthetic.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wad
Dictionary Entries Near wad
Cite this Entry
“Wad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wad. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wad
1 of 2 noun1
: a small mass, bundle, or tuft
a wad of cotton
2
: a soft pad or plug used to hold a powder charge in a gun or cartridge
3
a
: a roll of paper money
b
: a large amount (as of money)
spent a wad on clothes
wad
2 of 2 verb
wadded; wadding
1
: to form into a wad or wadding
wad up a handkerchief
2
: to stuff or line with soft material
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