what-do-you-call-it

Or whad·dya·call·it

[hwuhd-uh-yuh-kawl-it, hwod-, wuhd-, wod-]

noun

Informal.

1. whachamacallit.

When To Use

What does what-do-you-call-it mean?

What-do-you-call-it is a very informal term for an object whose name you don’t know, have forgotten, or can’t recall at the moment.It’s sometimes spelled whaddyacallit. Similar terms are what’s-it-called and whachamacallit (which is also commonly spelled whatchamacallit).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 what-do-you-call-it. The term is also sometimes used to refer to things that are not physical objects, such as events, types of media, or abstract concepts. It’s not typically used to refer to people (terms used for this purpose include what’s-her-name, what’s-his-name, and what’s-their-name).There are several other similarly informal words that are used in the same way as what-do-you-call-it, including whatsit, thingamajig, thingamabob, thingy, doohickey, and doodad.Example: My kids got me one of those what-do-you-call-its that track your steps. What’s it called? A stepometer?