wads

Crumpled tissue balls

Wads is the plural of wad—a lump or bundle of soft material pressed together.

A wad of gum, a wad of cash, a wad of paper.

To wad something is to compress it into a ball: She wadded up the receipt and threw it away.

In slang, to blow your wad is to spend all your money or exhaust your resources at once.

chunks

clumps

Masses stuck together

lumpsIrregular solid masses
ballsRound solid objects
massesBulk or populace

globs · plugs · bundles · rolls · twists · knots · hunks · gobs · blobs · packs

padding

stuffing

Seasoned mixture for cavities

cushioningSoftening force or fall
battingSwinging at pitches
fillerSubstance closing gaps

packing · insulation · filling · lining · gauze · cotton · foam · fiberfill · kapok · down

money

cash

Ready spending funds

banknotesPaper currency notes
greenbacksUS paper currency
notesBrief written records

bills · dough · bucks · moolah · stacks · rolls · bankrolls · bundles · fortunes · riches

chewing

gum

Sticky plant secretion

tobaccoDried smoking leaf
chawWad of tobacco
plugSomething that blocks openings

quid · spit · cheek · cud · betel · mastication · chomping

ammo

cartridges

Encased charges for firing

shellsProtective outer layers
roundsAmmunition or bout divisions
slugsShell-less land mollusks

buckshot · pellets · powder · shot · charges · loads · gunpowder · primers · casings · propellant

Categories

massmass, masses, bulk, body mass, atomic mass
Informal Amountssmidgen, bunch, ton, heap, loads
quantitiessome, many, few, amount, several
clumpsclumps, lumps, blobs, globs, gobs
muzzleloader gearpowder horn, powder flask, ramrod, percussion caps, patches
naval gunnerynaval gun, cannons, gunnery drills, guns, naval guns

Opposites

quantity/amount

Small scattered amount

pittances · pittance · scraps · trickle · morsels

physical form/structure

Flat expanses of material

flat sheets · spreads · scattered pieces · spread · openings

Phrases

wadded up
spit wadsSaliva-moistened paper pellets
shooting one's wadExpending all reserves prematurely
blow one's wadExpend all at once
shoot one's wadExpend all resources prematurely
got one's panties in a wadBecame disproportionately upset

Family

wad, wadding, wadded

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G