wad

(wŏd)

1. A small mass of soft material, often folded or rolled, used for padding, stuffing, or packing.

2. A compressed ball, roll, or lump, as of tobacco or chewing gum.

a. A plug, as of cloth or paper, used to retain a powder charge in a muzzleloading gun or cannon.

b. A disk, as of felt or paper, used to keep the powder and shot in place in a shotgun cartridge.

4. Informal A large amount: a wad of troubles.

5. Informal

a. A sizable roll of paper money.

b. A considerable amount of money.

6. Vulgar Slang An ejaculation of semen.

tr.v. wad·ded, wad·ding, wads

1. To compress into a wad: wad a candy wrapper.

2. To pad, pack, line, or plug with wadding: wad a keyhole.

a. To hold (shot or powder) in place with a wad.

b. To insert a wad into (a firearm).

[Origin unknown.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

wads - a large number or amount; "made lots of new friends"; "she amassed stacks of newspapers"

dozens, gobs, heaps, lashings, loads, lots, oodles, rafts, scads, scores, slews, stacks, tons, piles

large indefinite amount, large indefinite quantity - an indefinite quantity that is above the average in size or magnitude

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References in classic literature

Removing the wads from the latter with my knife, I emptied the powder on a flat rock.

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The man that had taken Jurgis to be naturalized was one of these "Indians," as they were called; and on election day there would be hundreds of them out, and all with big wads of money in their pockets and free drinks at every saloon in the district.

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So that this whole enormous boneless mass is as one wad. Finally, though, as will soon be revealed, its contents partly comprise the most delicate oil; yet, you are now to be apprised of the nature of the substance which so impregnably invests all that apparent effeminacy.

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Brissenden went home late that night; and just as he mounted the first step of the car, he swung suddenly back on Martin and thrust into his hand a small, tightly crumpled wad of paper.

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Am I a cannon-ball, Stubb, said Ahab, that thou wouldst wad me that fashion?

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He stretched out his hand to the little wad of notes which Duson had left upon the table, but the cabdriver backed away.

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"Webbons you may not have," said the captain; "but wad aboud der bearl dat you were sdealing?"

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"Prink half an hour, and put on her wad," answered the irreverent Tom, whose preparations for school consisted in flinging his cap on to his head, and strapping up several big books, that looked as if they were sometimes used as weapons of defence.

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A fule wad light his pipe wi' it, and then wonder whether he wadna ha' dune better to read it first.

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Leaning against the railing on the piazza were an immense number of long, heavy bamboos, plugged at the lower end, and with their projecting muzzles stuffed with a wad of leaves.

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"I might jest as well of 'ad the whole bloomin' wad."

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There's the wad of land that New Jersey crowd has been dickering for.

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