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

Noun Inflected Forms

• 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

See Examples For:

dingus dinguses

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

From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2026

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

We finally catch a breath with this unedited static shot, in which Annie and Alvy bicker as a pseudo-intellectual dingus pontificates about art in an attempt to impress his date.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 20, 2017

And they think you were eccentric in furnishing this room—they think the broad couch and that Japanese dingus are absurd.

From Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

See those little dinguses turn up the ribbons of sod!

From Frances of the Ranges The Old Ranchman's Treasure by Amy Bell Marlowe