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What exactly is a contraption?
In the words of one Little Mermaid, “I’ve got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty.” It would have been on-theme (though perhaps a bit clunky) for the aquatic princess to include in her siren song the word contraption. Synonymous with both gadget and gizmo, and widget too, in referring to mechanical and electronic devices, contraption is also one of a raft of terms people reach for when talking about various human-made bits and bobs, whether mechanical or not. (It's thought to have possibly been formed as a blend of contrivance, trap, and invention.) Want more thingamabob words? Try doohickey, thingamajig, dingus, or doodad.
Examples of contraption in a Sentence
Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
So Ukrainian and Russian mechanics keep tinkering with their contraptions to keep the tanks in the fight.
—Marco Hernandez, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Their investigation leads them to Dayal (Soubin Shahir) and Simon (Nagarjuna), members of a crime syndicate using one of Rajasekar's inventions — a chair-like contraption with the ability to cremate bodies — for their own nefarious purposes.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The movie is less a screwball comedy than a screwball contraption—a madcap farce that the screenwriters have reduced to a math problem.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contraption
Cite this Entry
“Contraption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contraption. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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contraption
noun
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