whatnot
Americannoun
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whatnots
plural
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a stand with shelves for bric-a-brac, books, etc.
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something or anything of the same or similar kind.
sheets, pillowcases, towels, napkins, and whatnot.
noun
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Also called: what-d'you-call-it. informal a person or thing the name of which is unknown, temporarily forgotten, or deliberately overlooked
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informal unspecified assorted material
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a portable stand with shelves, used for displaying ornaments, etc
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of whatnot
First recorded in 1530–40; from the phrase what not?
Explanation
Whatnot is another word for odds and ends. Whatnot also means etcetera, so it often comes at the end of a list. On top of a dresser, there might be souvenirs, snow globes, a collection of porcelain pigs, and whatnot. Whatnot has always referred to knickknacks, but a whatnot used to be the name of the shelves to put those knickknacks on. Whatnot can also be the little doodads themselves. You can use this word to indicate additional things of any kind that you don’t feel like naming. At the zoo, you might see lions, zebras, giraffes, and whatnot. In those cases, whatnot means a bunch of other stuff that’s like the stuff mentioned.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The diminishing impact of the tariffs is apparent in softer prices for goods — furniture, appliances, new cars and whatnot.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
That is not a formula for civilizational security, and whatnot.
From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2026
"People go on tour for music and whatnot, but for cake," Sunga says.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
AI has the ability to be a Ph.D. in your pocket, a doctor in your pocket, an analyst in your pocket, an accountant, and whatnot.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
Koontz joined them, incredulously surveying the damage that Bernabe, by parking in the mud, getting stuck, rocking his vehicle, sideslipping and whatnot, had done.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
The reality is, some doodads might be hard to find, while other whatnots will be in plentiful supply.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2021
Three CDs worth of the strangest hums and whirrs and whatnots is a full universe away from Christmas commercialized but remarkably close to its original spiritual essence of selflessness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2014
Having refreshed, we’d cruise the bright, gaily tiled food courts, gathering up whatnots for supper at home: Scotch eggs, fish pies, aromatic salamis and cheeses, dumplings, fresh-shot pheasant.
From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2013
Not that long ago companies had just two or three “chief” whatnots.
From Economist ● Jun. 24, 2010
Just lots of real kids pretending to be whatnots.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
