tad

noun

ˈtad 

1

: a small or insignificant amount or degree : bit

might give him some water and a tad to eat

—C. T. Walker

2

: a small child

especially : boy

Phrases

a tad

: somewhat, rather

looked a tad bigger than me

—Larry Hodgson

Synonyms

• ace
• bit
• crumb
• dab
• dram
• driblet
• glimmer
• hint
• lick
• little
• mite
• nip
• ounce
• particle
• peanuts
• ray
• scintilla
• scruple
• shade
• shadow
• shred
• skosh
• smack
• smell
• smidgen
• smidgeon
• smidgin
• smidge
• snap
• soupçon
• spark
• spatter
• speck
• splash
• spot
• sprinkling
• strain
• streak
• suspicion
• touch
• trace

Examples of tad in a Sentence

there's more than just a tad of hyperbole in the critics' praise for the promising young pianist

grandfather never tires of telling us about the days when he was just a tad

Recent Examples on the Web

Even our protagonist could use a tad more detailing. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 17 Sep. 2024

Had July been a tad hotter, the planet could have laid claim to a 14-month streak of such threshold-passing temperatures. —Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 13 Sep. 2024

The interest rate for a Direct PLUS Loan disbursed between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025 is fixed at 9.08% for the entire term — a tad higher than the current 8.52% home equity loan average. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2024

The Diamond data showed little improvement in representation, with South Asians off-screen nudging up a tad to 2.6% and on-screen holding steady at 4.9% – figures that have barely improved since before the pandemic. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably from English dialect, toad, from Middle English tode — more at toad

First Known Use

circa 1877, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

tad

noun

ˈtad 

1

: boy sense 1

2

: bit entry 2 sense 1