newt

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablebiology

   A small amphibian with a long tail and short legs that lives mostly near water and looks like a slim lizard.

   Grammar: Countable: a newt, three newts.

   Patterns

   • a newt in the pond
   • a species of newt

   We found a newt hiding under a stone next to the pond.

   The male newt grows a bright crest in spring.

   Newts lay their eggs one by one on water plants.

2. 2nounidiomBritishinformalhumorous

   In the phrase drunk as a newt, a British saying meaning very drunk.

   Grammar: Fixed British comparison: as drunk as a newt. Informal and not for formal writing.

   Patterns

   • as drunk as a newt

   After the wedding, my uncle was as drunk as a newt.

   He came home as drunk as a newt and fell asleep on the sofa.

Word forms

Common combinations

great crested newt

The great crested newt is a protected species in Britain.

smooth newt

A smooth newt swam slowly through the shallows.

newt pond

The school built a newt pond in the garden.

newt eggs

Newt eggs are wrapped in the leaves of pond plants.

as drunk as a newt

He was as drunk as a newt by midnight.

Synonyms and how they differ

salamander

Salamander is the broader group that includes newts, and it is often used for land-living species with smooth skin.

eft

Eft is an older word for a young newt that lives on land, and it is much less common than newt.

lizard

Lizard is a reptile with dry scaly skin, while a newt is an amphibian with moist skin.

Word family

salamander noun

a related amphibian with a long body and tail

amphibian noun

an animal that lives both in water and on land, like frogs and newts

tadpole noun

the young form of a frog or toad

eft noun

a young land-stage newt

Commonly confused: newt or lizard?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “newt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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