Definition

Noun (plural form of wad) 1. A large number or amount; a great quantity of things. This sense emphasizes a loose collection or accumulation of items, often implying the quantity is impressive, substantial, or somewhat disorganized. 2. A thick, compact mass or ball of soft material. This refers to a single, compressed lump of a malleable substance like paper, cloth, or cotton.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Sense 1: Large Amount):

  • He has wads of cash in his safe. (This emphasizes he has many thick bundles or a very large amount of money.)
  • After the party, we had wads of trash to clean up. (This indicates a large, unorganized quantity of garbage.)
  • She received wads of fan mail every week. (This stresses the impressive volume of letters.)

• Noun (Sense 2: Compact Mass):

  • He stuffed a wad of paper into the hole to stop the draft. (Refers to a single, crumpled ball of paper.)
  • The dentist asked her to bite down on a wad of cotton. (Refers to a single, rolled-up piece of cotton.)
  • A wad of chewing gum was stuck under the desk. (Refers to a single, lump of used gum.)

Advanced Usage

• "Wads of money": An informal idiom specifically meaning a very large amount of cash, often visualized as thick bundles of banknotes.
  • The deal made him wads of money.
• "Shoot one's wad" (Idiom, informal): To spend all of one's money, or to use up all of one's resources or energy on a single effort.
  • He shot his wad on a new car and had nothing left for vacation.

Variants and Related Words

• Wad (n/v): The singular form. As a verb, it means to compress into a wad (e.g., ).
• Wadding (n): Soft, fibrous material used for padding, stuffing, or packing.
• Bundle (n): A collection of things tied or wrapped together. (More organized than ).
• Heap (n): An untidy pile of things. (Similar to sense 1 of , but more focused on the pile shape).

Synonyms

• For Sense 1 (Large Amount): loads, lots, heaps, stacks, tons, oodles, scads, gobs.
• For Sense 2 (Compact Mass): lump, ball, clump, plug, mass, chunk.

Phrasal Verbs

• Wad up: To crush or compress something into a tight ball.
  • Please don't wad up the important document; just fold it.

Related Idioms

• A wad of something: Used informally to mean a large amount of something (often money).
  • He's sitting on a wad of cash from the sale.

Noun

1. a large number or amount
   • made lots of new friends
   • she amassed stacks of newspapers