whatnot

[hwuht-not, hwot-, wuht-, wot-]

noun

1. a stand with shelves for bric-a-brac, books, etc.

2. something or anything of the same or similar kind.

   sheets, pillowcases, towels, napkins, and whatnot.

whatnot

/ ˈwɒtˌnɒt /

noun

1. Also called: what-d'you-call-it. informal,  a person or thing the name of which is unknown, temporarily forgotten, or deliberately overlooked

2. informal,  unspecified assorted material

3. a portable stand with shelves, used for displaying ornaments, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of whatnot¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from the phrase what not?

Example Sentences

“Tigers? What nonsense. Go back to your books and globes and whatnots, what? The attic is no place for singing.”

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“You can keep your whatonyms and whatnots. My business is profit, and when I see an opportunity to make some, I act upon it.”

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Or, ‘Who thought this was an oldie?’ or whatnot,” he says.

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“I think it’s nice to have rest and kind of let everybody take a deep breath and rest up or whatnot,” shortstop Mookie Betts said.

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“I’m sure that there are directors, producers, whatnot, especially in the ‘70s and ‘80s, who passed on chances to work with her because of her politics,” he said.

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Related Words

• accessory 
• apparatus 
• appliance 
• equipment 
• gadget 
• gear 
• machine 
• material 
• mechanism