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

• appliance
• contraption
• contrivance
• gadget
• gimmick
• gizmo
• gismo
• jigger

Examples of widget in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Redundancy allows managers to see when a single widget is producing an unusual result. —Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 27 May 2025

Much like widgets, integrations take just a few clicks to configure. —PC Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025

Self-exclusion widgets like Gamban, BetBlocker and GamBlock can block access to accounts for a set period. —Rachel Hale, USA Today, 14 May 2025

The conversation then goes back and forth around Pixel features that later showed up on iPhone, such as Night Sight and Night Mode, Magic Eraser and Cleanup, and homescreen widgets. —Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of gadget

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for widget

• digit
• fidget
• midget