dingus

noun

din·​gus ˈdiŋ-(g)əs 

plural dinguses

1

informal : an often small article whose common name is unknown or forgotten : gadget, doodad sense 2

In his [Dashiell Hammett's] writings of the period from 1924 to 1952, "dingus" signifies, variously, a magician's prop, a typewriter, a short story, a novel, and an elusive artifact, a black bird better known as the Maltese Falcon.

—Mark McGurl

… the boy was decked out in a fancy uniform with silver buttons and a cap with a dingus on the top.

—Sholem Aleichem

2

US slang : a dim-witted, silly, or foolish person

—often used in a joking or friendly way

By most accounts, [Hunter] Strickland is actually a sweet feller. Respected by his teammates, nice to the fans, et cetera. But he sure is a dingus on the mound sometimes.

—Grant Brisbee

Think back to when you were 17 and how much of a dingus you could be …

—Pacific Takes

Synonyms

• whatsit
• thingamajig
• what-is-it
• doohickey
• thingamabob
• hickey
• whatchamacallit
• whatsis
• whatnot
• doodad

Examples of dingus in a Sentence

it seems to be missing some little dingus that holds everything in place

Recent Examples on the Web

Companion, meanwhile, quickly makes clear what a dingus Josh is; the film seems uninterested in deeper character study, instead just generating turns aplenty to keep up the momentum. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025

Don’t let some emotionally immature dingus shake you. —Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024

Trent is every bit the dingus Cole described him as, but still makes two modestly worthwhile contributions to the entire affair. —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024

Almost all are some form of dingus. —Dan Carson, Chron, 16 Apr. 2021

So, naturally, that handsome and talented dingus would also have some absolutely obnoxious music opinions. —Matt Miller, Esquire, 1 Feb. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Dutch or German; Dutch dinges, probably from German Dings, from genitive of Ding thing, from Old High German — more at thing

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1