Standard Lemma guide

widget

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation, US: /ˈwɪd͡ʒ.ɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪdʒɪt
  • CMU ARPABET: W IH1 JH IH0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A placeholder name for an unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product, typically as an example for purposes of explaining concepts.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Suppose we have a widget factory that produces 100 units per year...

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: thingy, gizmo, sprocket, Sorted by number of Google hits, widget, hickey, gimmick, thingie, jigger, gismo, gubbins, whatsit, thingamajig, doodad, whatchamacallit, doohickey, thingo, thingamabob, thingummy, whatsis, thingumajig, thingumabob, whatchacallit, Sorted alphabetically, affair, bazinga, bizzo, chingadera, dealie, dealy, dinglehopper, dingus, dohickey, dojigger, dongle, doo-hickey, doober, doodah, doofer, doohickus, doohinkey, doohinkus, doojigger, doovalacky, foobar, foo, frammis, frobnitz, gadget, geegaw, gewgaw, gingambob, gingumbob, hodad, hootenanny, jawn, jimbang, jobber, jobby, joint, junk, kajigger, kludge, MacGuffin, oojamaflip, rigamajig, shebang, stuff, thingabob, thingamabobber, thingamafuck, thingamajigger, thingamajiggy, thingmabob, thingmajig, thingmy, thingummabob, thingummajig, thingummyjig, thingum, thingymabob, thingymajig, thing, ting, whachacallit, whachamacallit, whaddayacallit, whatchamahoozie, whatdyecallem, whatdoyoucallit, whatnot, whatsaname, whatsitsname, whiff-whaff, whosiewhatsit, whosit, wossisname, wossname, wotsit, yoke, yokibus

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A floating device inside a beer can, meant to create foam when opened.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A small scraping tool consisting of a blade and a handle, commonly used to remove paint from glass and other smooth surfaces.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: scraper

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Synonym of tool, implement, device, gadget, part.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tool, implement, device, gadget, part

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Any one of the components of a computer application's graphical user interface, such as a Cancel button or text input box that a user interacts with.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, graphical-user-interface, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: control

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A small applet that can be placed on the desktop or in a sidebar, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, graphical-user-interface, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • This weather widget shows the current temperature.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

a device or control that is very useful for a particular job

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: appliance, contraption, contrivance, convenience, gadget, gizmo, gismo

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: device

Narrower terms: gadgetry, gimbal, injector, mod con

8

noun

Meaning 8

something unspecified whose name is either forgotten or not known

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she eased the ball-shaped doodad back into its socket
  • there may be some great new gizmo around the corner that you will want to use

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: doodad, doohickey, doojigger, gimmick, gizmo, gismo, gubbins, thingamabob, thingumabob, thingmabob, thingamajig, thingumajig, thingmajig, thingummy, whatchamacallit, whatchamacallum, whatsis

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stuff

History

Etymology

Coined by American playwright George S. Kaufman in 1924 in his play Beggar on Horseback (1924). The preface to the 1924 play credits an earlier German work from 1911 where there is an actor Elisabeth Wigge.

Blend of window + gadget.

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: джаджа (džadža) — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Czech: věcička — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Czech: udělátko — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Czech: udělátor — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Dutch: dingetje — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Dutch: prul — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Finnish: vempain — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Finnish: vekotin — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Finnish: härveli — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • French: babiole — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • French: camelote — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Greek: μαραφέτι (maraféti) — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Hungarian: kütyü — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Irish: giuirléid — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Italian: aggeggio — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Swedish: but see exempelprodukt — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Swedish: manick — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Swedish: mojäng — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Swedish: pryl — unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
  • Bulgarian: приспособление (prisposoblenie) — modular software component
  • Czech: škrabka — small scraping tool
  • French: spatule — small scraping tool
  • German: Schaber — small scraping tool
  • Romanian: spatula — small scraping tool
  • Spanish: espátula — small scraping tool
  • Catalan: giny — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Esperanto: fenestraĵo — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Finnish: komponentti — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Finnish: pienoisohjelma — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Finnish: vekotin — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Finnish: widgetti — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • French: widget — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • German: Steuerelement — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • German: Widget — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Greek: γραφικό στοιχείο (grafikó stoicheío) — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Irish: giuirléid — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Macedonian: посреднички елеме́нт (posrednički elemént) — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Norwegian: widget — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Polish: widżet — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Russian: ви́джет (vídžet) — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Spanish: widget — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Turkish: parçacık — component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
  • Cherokee: ᏫᏥᏘ (witsiti) — on-screen applet
  • French: widget — on-screen applet