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wad

noun · verb

Simple meaning

An amorphous, compact mass.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

wahd
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈwɑd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. An amorphous, compact mass.

  2. A substantial pile (normally of money).

  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.

verb

  1. To crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball.

  2. Compress into a wad

  3. To insert or force a wad into.

  4. To stuff or line with some soft substance, or wadding, like cotton.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Primarily written

More ways to use wad

  • “He used a wad of cotton to wipe the counter.”noun
  • “Wad paper into the box.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Large

thick wadsmall wadbig wadlarge wad

Stuff

wad like

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • wading birdnounCompound term

    Any of many long-legged birds that wade in water in search of food.

  • wading poolnounCompound term

    A shallow pool for children.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to crumple or crush into a compact

ram

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.