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

• gadget

Examples of widget in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

This will put borders around app icons, control panel buttons, widgets, and almost every other element of the software, for improved clarity. —PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025

One neat element of the Instinct Crossover AMOLED in particular is the way the watch face widgets can move slightly to avoid being obscured by the watch hands. —Andrew Williams, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

Whether icons and widgets are in Light mode, Dark mode, transparent mode, or tinted mode. —ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 2025

Sadly, there is no perfect widget out there. —Jess Bryant, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of gadget

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for widget

• digit
• fidget
• midget