noun / verb

wad

WAHD/wɑːd/

A compact lump or bundle of material.

A small wad of soft tissue has one loose edge.

A small, tightly crumpled wad of plain soft tissue, with densely compressed folds and a short loose edge revealing its thin, pliable material.

Etymology

Wad originally described a small bunch of soft, fibrous material used for padding or stuffing. Its later use for something tightly bundled preserves that compact form, but its ancestry remains uncertain.

In context

Storytime Haven45:52

he found a small wad of folded tissue-paper wrapped in oilskin, with three silver rupees

Kim by Rudyard Kipling 📚✨ | A Tale of Adventure and Espionage in India

More examples

She pulls a wad of cash from her pocket.
He wads up the scrap paper before throwing it away.
A cloth wad holds the powder and shot in place.

Forms

wad · wads · wadded · wadding

wadding noun — Soft material used for padding or stuffing.

Similar words

lump: Lump emphasizes an irregular solid mass rather than bundled material.
bundle: Bundle usually suggests items gathered together rather than tightly crumpled.