dingus

American  

[ding-guhs] / ˈdɪŋ gəs /

noun

Informal.

dinguses plural

1. a gadget, device, or object whose name is unknown or forgotten.

   We're missing the little dingus that makes the cable work.

2. a foolish, stupid, or inept person; doofus.

   I'm a complete dingus when it comes to math.

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Usage

What does dingus mean? Dingus is a very informal word for an object whose name you don’t know, have forgotten, or can’t recall at the moment. It’s often used to refer to gadgets or parts of things that might not even have a commonly known name, as in Before we attach the bracket, we have to insert this dingus here. There are several other similarly informal words that are used in the same way , including thingy, thingamajig, thingamabob, doohickey, doodad, whachamacallit, and whatsit. Example: My kids got me one of those dinguses that track your steps. What’s it called? A stepometer?

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• dinguses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dingus

First recorded in 1870–75; from Dutch dinges or its source, German Dinges, probably originally genitive, with partitive value, of Ding thing ¹

Example Sentences

Also: What kind of dingus gets mugged on Fifth Avenue?

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

Still preternaturally beautiful, Pfeiffer strides through the spaceship rides, dingus battles and inevitable climactic faceoff with the same coolness she brought to the zonked-out femme fatale in “Scarface.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 14, 2023

Even a dingus like me can do that.

From The Verge • Jan. 7, 2022

I took a new job right before the pandemic and my boss is a complete dingus.

From New York Times • Aug. 13, 2021

She's got a new dress and some sort of fancy dingus on it doesn't mix in right.

From The Outdoor Girls of Deepdale Or, camping and tramping for fun and health by Hope, Laura Lee