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

If users want to do anything from designing a social media campaign to analyzing spreadsheet data and building an interactive widget, that’s now possible on Canva within the same space. —Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025

Later versions of the AI-spambot also targeted the Live Chat widgets integrated into many modern websites. —Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 13 Apr. 2025

The widget can be QuickNotes, stocks, news, or a map, and each has its limitations. —PCMAG, 25 Mar. 2025

Like on Apple Watch, these complications/widgets will show glanceable information like weather, next calendar event, step count, etc. —Andrew Williams, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of gadget

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for widget

• digit
• fidget
• midget