doodad

noun doo·dad \ ˈdü-ˌdad \

Definition of doodad

1 :an ornamental attachment or decoration

2 :an often small article whose common name is unknown or forgotten :gadget

See doodad defined for English-language learners

Examples of doodad in a Sentence

where does this little doodad go?
has a habit of buying gadgets and doodads sold on television shopping channels

Recent Examples of doodad from the Web

This time she was picked up for allegedly stealing $86.22 worth of doodads from a department store in suburban Atlanta.

— joe sterling, CNN, "86-year-old jewel thief busted again, this time at Walmart," 18 July 2017
Now, the ADHD-curbing doodad has also hit the beauty sector.

— liana satenstein, Vogue, "Meet the New Fidget Spinner That Will Stoke Your Lip Smacker Nostalgia," 10 July 2017
Preparing food is still a pretty old-fashioned pastime, yet electronics stores can’t wait to inundate us with solar powered, USB-compatible, smartphone-accommodating doodads.

— kim komando, Fox News, "Tech Q&A: Finding veterans records," 1 July 2017
Bug travels back in time to World War II to steal some magical doodad and teams up with the original Sandman and his kid partner, Sandy; the original Blue Beetle; the WWII comic heroes Gunner and Sarge and Capt.

— michael sangiacomo, cleveland.com, "Good month for second stringers like Volstagg, She-Hulk, Aquaman and Bug (photos, video)," 27 June 2017
Last but not least are the scads of scientific gadgets, doodads, and data that scientists use to measure, study, and standardize our natural and manufactured world.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "A pigeon-piloted bomb, odd powders, and cryptic science—Ars goes to NIST," 25 June 2017
Fidget cubes and spinners offer a recent example, doodads that offer mechanical intrigue that might, some users hope, distract them from the draw of the smartphone.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "The App That Does Nothing," 9 June 2017
Others have celebrated the tool as a salve for smartphone addiction—a doodad to keep the fingers busy so that they aren’t tempted to reach for that whimpering glass rectangle.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "The Fidget Spinner Explains the World," 12 May 2017
Sephora, which is owned by the French luxury conglomerate LVMH and has more than 2,300 locations in 33 countries, offers digitally savvy customers enough technological doodads and computer displays to make a Silicon Valley engineer blush.

— laura m. holson, New York Times, "How Sephora Is Thriving Amid a Retail Crisis," 11 May 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of doodad

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1888

See Words from the same year

doodad Synonyms

Synonyms

dingus, doohickey, hickey, thingamabob, thingamajig (or thingumajig), thingummy, whatchamacallit, whatnot, whatsit (also whatsis or what-is-it)

Related Words

bijouterie, bric-a-brac, gimcrackery, trinketry, trumpery, virtu (or vertu); bagatelle, trifle; figurine, objet d'art (also objet), ornament; keepsake, memento, souvenir; conversation piece; collectible (or collectable), collector's item

Near Antonyms

blemish, defacement, disfigurement, scar; blot, spot, stain

DOODAD Defined for English Language Learners

doodad

noun

Definition of doodad for English Language Learners

: a usually small object that is used as a decoration
: a small useful device

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