doohickey

American  

[doo-hik-ee] / ˈduˌhɪk i /

noun

Informal.

plural

doohickeys

1. a gadget; dingus; thingamajig.

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doohickey British  

/ ˈduːˌhɪkɪ /

noun

1. informal another name for doodah

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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

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; doo(dad) + hickey

Example Sentences

But what happens when one of your articles goes viral — not for its content but rather for how an AI doohickey swallowed up what you wrote and upchucked a controversial summation?

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2025

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

And that name, in turn, inspired the name of the spinoff doohickey that engineers loved to ride down the halls of DEKA.

From Slate • Aug. 1, 2021

Even if it’s a doohickey without any particular monetary value.

From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2021

To activate widget A, you insert doohickey B into slot C. Or you can delete the you, since it’s understood to be the subject.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner