toad

IPA/təʊd/
KK[tˈod]IPA/təʊd/

toad — noun

  • toadsingular
  • toadsplural

1. a small hopping animal with rough, dry, often bumpy skin; it is the close cousin

1.nounB1
Definition

a small hopping animal with rough, dry, often bumpy skin; it is the close cousin of the frog but spends most of its life on land near ponds and streams.

Example

Haruto found a brown toad sitting under a wet leaf in the garden.

concrete noun in object position

Every spring, hundreds of toads cross the village road on their way to the pond.

plural toads + habitat collocation: cross the road, to the pond

Common collocations
  • common toad
  • garden toad
  • a toad hops
  • a toad croaks
Synonyms
  • frog

    very close relative; frogs have smoother, wetter skin and longer legs for jumping

  • amphibian

    the wider scientific group that includes toads, frogs, and salamanders

Usage Note

Subject is usually a real animal in a natural setting; use 'frog' instead when the skin is smooth and the animal lives mostly in water.

Common Mistakes

A toad is a kind of fish.
A toad is a kind of amphibian, like a frog.
toads breathe air and live mostly on land, not in water.
I saw a toad swimming in the sea.
I saw a toad sitting near the pond.
toads live near fresh water, not in the sea.

2. an old-fashioned insulting word for a man you really dislike, usually because he

2.nounC1
Definition

an old-fashioned insulting word for a man you really dislike, usually because he behaves badly and looks unattractive.

Example

Amelia called her landlord a horrible toad after he raised the rent again without warning.

insult collocation: call someone a toad

Faisal grumbled that the new manager was a pompous toad who bullied the staff.

informal insult: pompous toad + bully the staff

Common collocations
  • horrible toad
  • nasty little toad
  • fat toad
  • ugly toad
Synonyms
  • creep

    more modern, common informal insult for a dislikeable man

  • jerk

    everyday informal insult; focuses on rude behaviour rather than appearance

  • scoundrel

    old-fashioned; suggests dishonest or cheating behaviour

Antonyms
  • gentleman

    polite, kind man — direct positive contrast

Usage Note

Almost always used about a man, and almost always in informal speech or older fiction; modern conversation prefers 'creep' or 'jerk'. Often comes with a strong adjective like 'horrible', 'fat', or 'nasty'.

Common Mistakes

My boss is a toad because she missed the meeting.
My boss is a creep because she missed the meeting.
'toad' as an insult is almost always used for men, not women.
He is a toad at maths.
He is bad at maths.
'toad' does not mean 'bad at something'; it only means an unpleasant person.

Word family

  • toadlet
    nounC2
  • toady
    nounC2
  • toadyish
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A toad and a frog are close cousins, but learners should not treat them as the same word. A frog usually has smooth, wet skin, long back legs for big jumps, and spends most of its life in or beside water. A toad has rough, dry, often warty skin, shorter legs (so it hops in small steps), and lives mostly on land, only returning to water to lay eggs. 'Amphibian' is the wider scientific group that covers both, plus newts and salamanders, so use it in biology or nature writing, not in everyday talk. Compare: 'A small green frog was swimming in the pond' (in water, smooth and green) versus 'A brown toad was sitting under a stone in the garden' (on land, dry skin, hiding).

toad ↗frog ↗amphibian ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • toad skin
  • toad eggs
  • garden toad
  • common toad

Phrases

  • a toad hops
  • a toad croaks
  • spot a toad
  • catch a toad

Prepositions

  • toad under (a stone/leaf)
  • toad near (the pond)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

'Toad' comes from Old English 'tāde' or 'tādige', a word for this small land-living amphibian. The word has no clear relatives in other old European languages, which suggests it may be a very old, native English name. In folk stories from medieval times, toads were often linked with witchcraft and ugliness, and from this came the much later insulting use of 'toad' to mean an unpleasant man.