Wad — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈwäd/

Meaning & Definition of Wad

Wad (noun)

  1. a small mass, bundle, or tuft
  2. 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)
  3. a soft plug used to retain a powder charge or to avoid windage especially in a muzzle-loading gun

Wad (verb)

  1. to insert a wad into
  2. to hold in by a wad
  3. to form into a wad or wadding; especially, to roll or crush into a tight wad

Wad (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a considerable amount

    "a starlet who usually gets a big wad of publicity for her nonstop antics"

    similar: abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle, bushel, carload, chunk, deal, dozen, fistful, gobs, good deal, heap, hundred, lashings (chiefly British), 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, all kinds (of), quite a bit
    related: epidemic, plague, rash, bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, plethora, redundancy, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus, deluge, flood, overflow, army, bevy, cram, crowd, crush, drove, flock, herd, horde, host, legion, mob, multitude, press, score, sea, swarm, throng, gazillion, jillion, kazillion, million, thousands, trillion, zillion
    opposite: ace, bit, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, handful, hint, lick, little, mite, mouthful, nip, ounce, peanuts, pinch, pittance, scruple, shade, shadow, smidgen, speck, spot, sprinkle, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, taste, touch, trace
    near: atom, crumb, dot, fleck, flyspeck, fragment, grain, granule, iota, jot, modicum, molecule, mote, nubbin, particle, ray, scintilla, scrap, shred, tittle, whit, smatter, smattering, dash, drop, morsel, shot, piece, portion, section, absence, dearth, famine, lack, paucity, poverty, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply, want, deficiency, deficit, inadequacy, insufficiency, meagerness, scantiness, scantness, skimpiness

  2. a small uneven mass

    "a wad of gum stuck to the desk"

    similar: blob, chunk, clod, clot, clump, dollop, glob, gob, gobbet, hunk, knob, lump, nub, nubble, nugget
    related: bead, drop, globule, block, body, bulk, particle, piece, portion, bit, chip, crumb, granule, morsel, nubbin, patch, scrap

  3. a very large amount of money

    "amassed—and lost—a wad playing the stock market"

    similar: big bucks, bomb (British), boodle, bundle, earth, fortune, king's ransom, megabucks, mint, packet (chiefly British), pile
    related: heap, pot, bonanza, mine, treasure trove, assets, capital, means, property, riches, wealth, wherewithal, bread (slang), cash, chips, currency, dough, gold, jack (slang), legal tender, lucre, pelf, tender, wampum
    opposite: mite, peanuts, pittance, song
    near: petty cash, pin money, pocket money, spending money

Wad (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: agglomerate, ball, roll, round
    related: bunch, clump, lump, bead, pearl, pellet, pelletize, sphere
    opposite: unroll
    near: flatten, open, smooth, spread, unfold

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Wad

The most common words with a similar meaning to Wad:

Chiefly British: lashings, packet
British: bomb
abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle, bushel, carload, chunk, deal, dozen, fistful, gobs, good deal, heap, hundred, loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, multiplicity, myriad, oodles, pack, passel, peck, pile, plateful, plenitude, plentitude, plenty, pot, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Wad

Words with the opposite meaning of Wad:

ace, bit, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, handful, hint, lick, little, mite, mouthful, nip, ounce, peanuts, pinch, pittance, scruple, shade, shadow, smidgen, speck, spot, sprinkle, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, taste

Related Words for Wad

epidemic, plague, rash, bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, plethora, redundancy, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus, deluge, flood, overflow, army, bevy, cram, crowd, crush, drove, flock, herd, horde, host

Near Antonyms of Wad

atom, crumb, dot, fleck, flyspeck, fragment, grain, granule, iota, jot, modicum, molecule, mote, nubbin, particle, ray, scintilla, scrap, shred, tittle, whit, smatter, smattering, dash, drop, morsel, shot, piece, portion, section

Word Forms of Wad

Inflections: wadded, wadding

Derived words: wadder (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Wad

Middle English wadde, from Medieval Latin wadda

First known use: 1556

Frequently Asked Questions about Wad

What does "Wad" mean?

"Wad" means a small mass, bundle, or tuft. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a small mass, bundle, or tuft. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Wad"?

Other words for "Wad" include abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle and bushel. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Wad" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Wad"?

There are 169 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Wad". Common alternatives include abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle, bushel, carload and chunk.

What is the opposite of "Wad"?

Antonyms of "Wad" include ace, bit, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, handful and hint. Near antonyms include atom, crumb, dot and fleck.

How do you use "Wad" in a sentence?

Examples of "Wad" in a sentence: "a starlet who usually gets a big wad of publicity for her nonstop antics"; "a wad of gum stuck to the desk"; "amassed—and lost—a wad playing the stock market".

Is "Wad" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Wad" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Wad"?

"Wad" is pronounced /ˈwäd/.

What is the origin of the word "Wad"?

"Wad" comes from Middle English wadde, from Medieval Latin wadda. First known use: 1556.