widget

noun

wid·​get ˈwi-jət 

1

: gadget

2

: an unnamed article considered for purposes of hypothetical example

3

: a small software application that is designed to provide a specific piece of information (such as news, weather, or traffic updates) or a specific function (such as taking notes or controlling another application) on demand

This resource allows anglers to see what advisories are in effect in specific waterways … . The web page is optimized for mobile devices, with a widget that allows users to zoom to their exact location on the map with the press of a button.

—Chris Knauss

A widget might show you the weather forecast, or the latest baseball scores. There are widgets that show photographs you've stored online, or that cull images from the Daily Puppy Web site.

—Rob Walker

Synonyms of widget

• gadget

Examples of widget in a Sentence

manufacturers of all kinds of widgets for the do-it-yourselfer

Recent Examples on the Web

To see if you have been selected, open up your Delta app on your smartphone and look for the widget icon in the upper right-hand corner of the app home screen that resembles the Delta logo with additional two stars. —Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025

Prioritizing what companies actually need over whatever widgets Wall Street happens to sell is good customer service. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2025

The widget merchants decide not to risk it, and everyone else gets to enjoy cheap widgets. —Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 22 Oct. 2025

From icons and widgets to menu bars and more, many UI elements can now be made transparent to offer more usable space on-screen. —PC Magazine, 18 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of gadget

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for widget

• digit
• fidget
• midget