Frog Definition & Meaning

American

British

Sensitive Note

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms frog 1 American [frog, frawg] / frɒg, frɔg /

noun

1. any tailless, stout-bodied amphibian of the order Anura, including the smooth, moist-skinned frog species that live in a damp or semiaquatic habitat and the warty, drier-skinned toad species that are mostly terrestrial as adults.

2. Also called true frog,. Also called ranid. any frog of the widespread family Ranidae, most members of which are semiaquatic and have smooth, moist skin and relatively long hind legs used for leaping.

3. a slight hoarseness, usually caused by mucus on the vocal cords.

   a frog in the throat.

4. (often initial capital letter) a contemptuous term used to refer to a French person or a person of French descent.

5. a small holder made of heavy material, placed in a bowl or vase to hold flower stems in position.

6. a recessed panel on one of the larger faces of a brick or the like.

7. Music. nut.

verb (used without object)

frogged, frogging

1. to hunt and catch frogs.

adjective

1. (often initial capital letter) French or Frenchlike.

frog 2 American [frog, frawg] / frɒg, frɔg /

noun

1. an ornamental fastening for the front of a coat, consisting of a button and a loop through which it passes.

2. a sheath suspended from a belt and supporting a scabbard.

frog 3 American [frog, frawg] / frɒg, frɔg /

noun

1. Railroads. a device at the intersection of two tracks to permit the wheels and flanges on one track to cross or branch from the other.

frog 4 American [frog, frawg] / frɒg, frɔg /

noun

Zoology.

1. a triangular mass of elastic, horny substance in the middle of the sole of the foot of a horse or related animal.

frog 1 British / frɒɡ /

noun

1. any insectivorous anuran amphibian of the family Ranidae , such as Rana temporaria of Europe, having a short squat tailless body with a moist smooth skin and very long hind legs specialized for hopping

2. any of various similar amphibians of related families, such as the tree frog

3. any spiked or perforated object used to support plant stems in a flower arrangement

4. a recess in a brick to reduce its weight

5. phlegm on the vocal cords that affects one's speech

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. (intr) to hunt or catch frogs

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 frog 2 British / frɒɡ /

noun

1. (often plural) a decorative fastening of looped braid or cord, as on the front of a 19th-century military uniform

2. a loop or other attachment on a belt to hold the scabbard of a sword, etc

3. music

   1. the ledge or ridge at the upper end of the fingerboard of a violin, cello, etc, over which the strings pass to the tuning pegs

   2. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): nut. the end of a violin bow that is held by the player

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Frog 3 British / frɒɡ, ˈfrɒɡɪ /

noun

1. a derogatory word for a French person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 frog 4 British / frɒɡ /

noun

1. a tough elastic horny material in the centre of the sole of a horse's foot

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 frog 5 British / frɒɡ /

noun

1. a grooved plate of iron or steel placed to guide train wheels over an intersection of railway lines

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Sensitive Note

The use of the word frog to mean “a French person” is a slur that arose because the French were stereotypically thought of as eating frogs.

Other Word Forms

• froglike adjective

Etymology

Origin of frog1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English frogge, Old English frogga, frocga; compare dialectal Middle English frosh, Old Norse froskr, Old High German frosk ( German Frosch ); frog 1 defs. 5, 6 of unclear derivation

Origin of frog2

First recorded in 1710–20; perhaps from Portuguese froco, from Latin floccus “tuft of wool”; flock 2

Origin of frog3

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; of uncertain origin

Origin of frog4

First recorded in 1600–10; compare earlier frush in same sense, probably from French fourchette “fork” ( fourchette ); presumably identified with dialectal frosh “frog,” hence with frog 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The team examined more than 13,000 genes across the frogs' genomes.

From Science Daily

These animals were 'crocodile-like' relatives of today's salamanders and frogs and could reach lengths of up to 2 m.

From Science Daily

Even the little speckled tree frogs, the katydids, and the crickets were chipping in with their nickel’s worth of welcome music.

From Literature

Opal stared at me and then flicked out her tongue and wound it around her mouth, like a frog catching flies.

From Literature

At that point, the object could be cars, bananas or frogs.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• toad

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.