dingus

[ ding-uhs ]

noun

, Informal.

, plural ding·us·es.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dingus¹

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

Example Sentences

The whistles high frequency waves also awakened Cerberus, the three-headed watch dog, besides actuating The Dingus.

From Project Gutenberg

Rosalie give him a pearl dingus to wear in his cravat, an' derned ef he don't have to wear a collar all the time now.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a new kind of a silver dingus, with two handles to it, for getting a lump of sugar into your tea.

From Project Gutenberg

Miss Dingus looked at the small, sandy haired girl with astonishment.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

More About Dingus

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?

Where does dingus come from?

The first records of the word dingus come from the 1870s. It comes from the Dutch word dinges, from the German Ding, meaning “thing.” So a dingus is really a thingus.

Today, the word is especially used to refer to small, physical objects, but its ambiguous nature means it can be used for all kinds of things (which is really the point of a word like dingus). Sometimes, it’s used just to be a bit funny, even if you actually know the name of the object you’re referring to.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to dingus?

• dinguses (plural)

What are some synonyms for dingus?

• thingy
• thingamajig
• thingamabob
• what-do-you-call-it
• whaddyacallit
• whatsit
• whatsis
• doohickey
• doodad
• doodah

What are some words that share a root or word element with dingus? 

• thing

What are some words that often get used in discussing dingus?

 

• gadget
• gizmo
• device
• contraption
• object
• item
• forget
• name

How is dingus used in real life?

Dingus is very informal. It’s especially used in speech as a way for the speaker to refer to something whose name they don’t know or can’t remember at that moment.

Complain about overpriced plastic dingus and a stranger will model a free 3D printable version http://t.co/JEjYERxYKV pic.twitter.com/9q5CU8Zr57

— Cory Doctorow #BLM (@doctorow) March 1, 2015

Bolt and fastener chart: what's that dingus called? http://bit.ly/hqQ7QU

— Boing Boing (@BoingBoing) January 30, 2011

Poop-Deck is scrubbed and clean. Now, to get a plastic dingus from Ace Hardware.

— Diana Brooks (@Geekytaitai) August 20, 2010

 

Try using dingus!

Is dingus used correctly in the following sentence?

This darn dingus doesn’t even work anymore—can you pick up another one at the store?