doodad

noun

doo·​dad ˈdü-ˌdad 

1

: an ornamental attachment or decoration

2

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

Synonyms

• dingus
• doohickey
• hickey
• thingamabob
• thingamajig
• thingumajig
• thingummy
• whatchamacallit
• whatnot
• whatsit
• whatsis
• what-is-it

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 on the Web

Max Martin and Shellback pack the track with all sorts of amusing audio doodads, and while the melody is a little too horizontal, the hook is undeniable. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 May 2024

The laws are in place that criminalize doodads like Glock switches. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 9 Mar. 2024

Red and white wallcoverings in a layered crosshatch pattern adorn the adjoining dining room, which conveniently provides a couple of small closets for linens and other table-scaping doodads. —Mark David, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024

But Gosselin’s in particular, which leave only the dolls’ heads and feet free, look like attempts to metabolize the violence and misogyny of popular culture, or simply to render pointy plastic doodads tender and warm. —Will Heinrich, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1