whatnot
Americannoun
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a stand with shelves for bric-a-brac, books, etc.
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something or anything of the same or similar kind.
sheets, pillowcases, towels, napkins, and whatnot.
noun
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Also called: what-d'you-call-it. informal a person or thing the name of which is unknown, temporarily forgotten, or deliberately overlooked
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informal unspecified assorted material
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a portable stand with shelves, used for displaying ornaments, etc
Etymology
Origin of whatnot
First recorded in 1530–40; from the phrase what not?
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.
AI has the ability to be a Ph.D. in your pocket, a doctor in your pocket, an analyst in your pocket, an accountant, and whatnot.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
“We still have a footprint there in Venezuela, in terms of operating bases and whatnot, and so getting equipment there to work is fairly straightforward,” he says on a call with analysts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
"Everyone was calling it the garden show and whatnot so I had a bit of a following through it," he said.
From BBC • Aug. 12, 2025
The other actors in the show, for the most part, I’d known of their work or whatnot.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2025
“Why would you believe I’m a whatnot, when you can accept that Josie isn’t?” she challenged.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
