knickknack
Americannoun
Usage
What is a knickknack? A knickknack is a small decorative object, such as a little statue of a dog or a bobblehead. A knickknack is any keepsake, trinket, ornament, figure, or display piece that you own just to display it. Knickknacks can include small statues or figures, novelty candles or cups, and small toys. They can also include plastic figures based on pop culture, fidget devices such as cubes and spinners, stress balls, paperweights, and display boxes. Because knickknacks don’t take up much space, you generally don’t notice them much until you have so many that they clutter your space. Knickknacks are similar to gimcracks, which are showy, useless items, and the terms are often used interchangeably. The term bric-a-brac, another similar term, refers to small items that are collected for sentimental value, as a hobby, or for decorative purposes. Example: Every time I go to a garage sale, I come home with more knickknacks that clutter my shelves.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of knickknack
1610–20; gradational compound based on knack in obsolete sense “toy”
Explanation
You might love your tiny ceramic cat wearing a sombrero, but it’s just a knickknack, a small collectible ornament. A knickknack isn’t valuable — except sentimentally. Little statues, candles in quirky shapes, or prizes found inside cereal boxes, are all knickknacks. Anything that decorates or clutters the shelves of someone's home, especially if it's basically worthless, is a knickknack. The word knickknack was originally a 16th century version of "dirty trick," from knack, and its now-obsolete meaning "deception or trick." Don’t freak out if it’s spelled knick-knack because that’s ok too.
Vocabulary lists containing knickknack
List 5
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Swindle
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Hope Springs
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Alithea, a literary scholar on a work trip in Istanbul, is the latest fated candidate to summon the djinn — purchasing the blue and white glass bottle that contains him from a knickknack shop.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 23, 2022
His office at Trump Tower was so crammed with memorabilia, including Shaquille O’Neal’s gargantuan sneakers, visitors had to edge their way inside to avoid knocking down a knickknack.
From New York Times ● Aug. 12, 2022
Danner’s Ronnie is a sweet widower who works in a knickknack store and has been a hoarder since her infant daughter died years before.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2019
A 17th-century merchant’s house is a stone’s throw from a present-day knickknack shop.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2018
The designer jeans emporium, the Venetian paper knickknack shop, the stocking boutique with its kicking neon leg.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Bulky server racks and wafer-thin semiconductors needed for the artificial-intelligence build-out are taking up space in cargo planes once occupied by packages of low-price apparel and knickknacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
She orders on average 25 to 30 items each month: knickknacks, party supplies, gifts worth a few dollars each.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
A retired pharmacist, Kelley filled her spotlessly clean home with family photos and knickknacks that gave the house a cozy, welcoming feel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2025
Gascón was brightly backlit and had knickknacks and a potted plant behind him as he spoke.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2024
I watch as the wind sweeps everything off the shelves: knickknacks, books, a vase of purple flowers.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
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.
