dongle

noun don·gle \ ˈdäŋ-gəl , ˈdȯŋ- \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of dongle

: a small device that plugs into a computer and serves as an adapter or as a security measure to enable the use of certain software

Recent Examples of dongle from the Web

The flat Fire TV boxes were shrunk down to HDMI sticks and dongles that weren't much larger than a thumb drive; to this day, the cheap streaming sticks from Amazon and Roku are best-sellers for both companies.

— lauren goode, WIRED, "Amazon's New Fire TV Device Is a Voice-Controlled Cube," 7 June 2018
AirFly is a new dongle-like gadget from Twelve South, a company that specializes in add-ons for Apple products.

— sebastian modak, Condé Nast Traveler, "This Tiny Device Pairs Your Wireless Headphones with the In-Flight Entertainment System," 31 May 2018
There's really nothing in a dongle form factor for Android TV, though.

— ron amadeo, Ars Technica, "Google I/O 2018 preview—What we’re expecting from Google’s big show," 30 Apr. 2018
Secure identity dongles, like the kind RSA makes, have been around for at least 15 years, so why is having people buy a Yubikey better?

— lauren goode, WIRED, "Our Password-Free Future Is Near (But Not Really)," 19 Apr. 2018
But this wasn’t enough to prevent Apple following through with the design change that effectively rendered millions of headphones obsolete without an expensive dongle.

— anthony cuthbertson, Newsweek, "Is Apple Planning to Ditch the Keyboard? New Patent Hints at Dual-Screen MacBook," 6 Mar. 2018
The dongle glows blue and emits, in a delicate flourish that resembles the vapour from an e-cigarette, the fragrance from whichever chemical cartridge has been loaded into it.

— robert chalmers, Newsweek, "Digitising Smell: The Third Sense Is Coming to Your Phone," 11 Sep. 2014
For those who want a new phone but detest the idea of having to keep track of a tiny dongle or buy wireless headphones, this could make the Galaxy S9 a compelling option.

— lisa eadicicco, Time, "Samsung's New Galaxy S9 Is All About Making the Camera Even Better," 25 Feb. 2018
Apple and other vendors sell individual USB-C adapters (also called dongles) to convert the port for use with standard USB connectors, H.D.M.I. video cables, Secure Digital card readers and other gear.

— j. d. biersdorfer, New York Times, "Adding Ports to a Portable Computer," 20 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dongle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.