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 of widget

• gadget

Examples of widget in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The smart home hub will have a home screen, widgets, and clock faces like those on an Apple Watch, and an interface that looks like a combination of iOS, tvOS, and watchOS. — Bee Wertheimer, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026

Use customizable widgets for easy access to your family’s calendars, to-do lists, local weather, favorite music, and more. — Katrina Cossey, Parents, 19 Sep. 2026

Aside from this feature, iOS 27 also includes a way to adjust the opacity of Liquid Glass, new icon designs, extra-large widgets, and new volume settings for ringtones, alarms, timers, and alerts. — Emma Roth, The Verge, 9 Sep. 2026

When the phone is open, the display shows two home-screen pages with Today View (a vertically scrolling list of customizable widgets) on the left. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

alteration of gadget

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for widget

• digit
• fidget
• midget