gizmo
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of gizmo
First recorded in 1940–45; origin uncertain
Explanation
A gizmo is a device used for a specific job. A vacuum is a gizmo that cleans the floor. While gizmo often means an unknown object — like a thingamajig — a gizmo is any device that gets a job done. A phone is a gizmo for talking to people. A stove is a gizmo that cooks food. A hammer is a gizmo that pounds in nails. Gizmos are all man-made: a plant or animal can't be a gizmo. If you want to be an inventor, come up with an original gizmo.
Vocabulary lists containing gizmo
Vocabulary from the Songs of "The Little Mermaid"
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Katt vs. Dogg
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Ban This Book
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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
That gizmo, Professor Gingerich said, worked well enough that “I could easily see the rings of Saturn, and so it was probably slightly better than Galileo’s telescope.”
From New York Times • Jun. 11, 2023
“Okay, so the authorities are being snookered by these hidden messages. But how could they resist the facts? Show them your Receiver gizmo, Mr. Benedict. They’ll have to believe you.”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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.
