doohickey
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does doohickey mean? Doohickey 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 doohickey here. Doohickey is sometimes used even if you know the name of the thing you’re referring to, such as to be funny or to downplay the importance or value of an object, as in What, these old doohickeys? I’ve got a whole boxful of ’em. Take as many as you want. Doohickey is often used with a modifier describing the kind of thing, as in Where’s that plastic doohickey?There are several other similarly informal words that are used in the same way, including doodad, dingus, thingy, thingamajig, thingamabob, whachamacallit, and whatsit. Example: My kids got me one of those doohickeys that track your steps. What’s it called? A stepometer?
Etymology
Origin of doohickey
Explanation
A doohickey is a "whatchamacallit" or a "doodad." In other words, it's something whose exact name you don't know or can't remember, like the doohickey you use to pry open that drawer that always sticks shut. You can add doohickey to your list of all-purpose placeholder words, along with "thingamabob" and "gizmo." These terms are useful when the actual name of the item escapes you: "Hand me that doohickey on the table. Not that one, the little doohickey that screws in this bolt!" Doohickey was first used as U.S. Navy slang in the early 20th century and defined in 1925 as "an airman’s term for small, detachable fittings."
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.
The AI-powered doohickey self-immolates upon coming across my first use of Spanglish.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 27, 2024
For the hard-to-reach places — the flower beds and under the azaleas — he has a little handheld doohickey, like a garden center jack-in-box.
From Washington Post • Jul. 3, 2022
What was the TVA doohickey that the murderer stole in 19th-century Nebraska?
From Slate • Jun. 9, 2021
Even if it’s a doohickey without any particular monetary value.
From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2021
"It says 'e-i-l-a-s-h/ then that 'at' doohickey, then it says 'g-l-o-w-z' and then a period, and then 'n-e-t'—'net.' And that's all of it."
From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements
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.
