widget
Americannoun
-
a small mechanical device, as a knob or switch, especially one whose name is not known or cannot be recalled; gadget.
a row of widgets on the instrument panel.
-
something considered typical or representative, as of a manufacturer's products.
the widgets coming off the assembly line.
-
Digital Technology. a module on a website, in an application, or in the interface of a device that allows users to access information or perform a function.
I added a weather widget to my screen.
noun
-
informal any small mechanism or device, the name of which is unknown or temporarily forgotten
-
a small device in a beer can which, when the can is opened, releases nitrogen gas into the beer, giving it a head
-
a small computer program that can be installed on and executed from the desktop of a personal computer
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of widget
First recorded in 1925–30; perhaps alteration of gadget
Explanation
A widget is a tool that's perfect for a specific job, like the widget you use to open the door of your ancient car, or the widgets on your webpage that link to your social media accounts. Widget is commonly used to mean "gadget," the word that inspired this American English term. If your grandpa tinkers with tools and gizmos in his garage, he's definitely got widgets in there. Sometimes theoretical products or goods are also called widgets: "Say you build a widget factory right here on Main Street..." When it comes to computers, a widget is code that does a specific job, often taking you from one site to another in a single click.
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:
But he’s not the CEO of a publicly traded widget factory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Candidates in a real process would be able to log their issue with the on-screen help widget and receive a new link to restart the assessment, the company's VP of product, Claudia Baijens, says.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
As if health coverage is a widget the company has engineered rather than a lifeline it is cutting.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 19, 2025
It also runs substantive service journalism, like this column, by Michael J. Coren, about the threat of climate change on homeowners, with a widget that can assess the vulnerability of specific counties.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2024
To activate widget A, insert doohickey B into slot C. Looking for a dangler?
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Were Vrabel the CEO of a publicly traded widget factory, he might be in hot water with his board, no matter how many widgets he sold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
But today, as A.I. widgets ooze through every crack of our digital lives, our reflexive outrage at the overreach is starting to wear down.
From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026
They even added iOS widgets and Siri shortcuts recently – “Hey Siri, turn on my VPN” actually works.
From Salon ● Feb. 11, 2026
For the leaders of today’s cultural industries, films, TV series, albums, even books seem to be no more than widgets on an algorithmic assembly line, as fungible as yards of textile or gauges of steel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2025
The day you leave public service all of your knowledge is current, and therefore valuable, especially to companies who want to sell widgets to the government.
From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Schwartau, Winn
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.
