gizmo
Americannoun
plural
gizmosnoun
Etymology
Origin of gizmo
First recorded in 1940–45; origin uncertain
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.
There have been high-intensity sessions on a vertical cardio climber - a full-body workout gizmo which developers say is "one of the most effective and efficient ways of burning fat and calories".
From BBC • Aug. 25, 2025
Comedy and tragedy customarily share space in “Star Trek” — “Section 31” begins with a quote from Aeschylus and includes an extended discussion over whether the gizmo they’re after is called “Godsend” or “God’s End.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2025
De Jaen crouches to fiddle with alligator clips and bits of wire, as well as six 100-watt light bulbs and a purple gizmo that looks like an electric waffle iron designed for children.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2024
One of his funniest early stories, “I Can Speak!,” parodied legalistic customer-relations language, in that case involving a gizmo that purported to translate baby talk.
From Washington Post • Oct. 21, 2022
Hey, Paine, can you take a bath with that ankle gizmo, or would you get all electrocuted?”
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
