widget

noun

wid·​get ˈwi-jət How to pronounce widget (audio)
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

Examples of widget in a Sentence

manufacturers of all kinds of widgets for the do-it-yourselfer
Recent Examples on the Web The tide in the last two decades has been toward treating students as widgets to be engineered to produce better math and reading scores. Peter Greene, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024 Oakland County is stepping up efforts to give local businesses training and access to industrial-grade 3D printing machines, and the equipment's latest batch of widgets and parts are ready to be shown off. Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2024 Drivers can select up to three ancillary widgets to display on the passenger side such as weather and media information. Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2024 Well, there are about a trillion guides for which widget will make an imperceptible improvement to your hike. Wes Siler, Outside Online, 14 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for widget 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'widget.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of gadget

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of widget was in 1924

Dictionary Entries Near widget

Cite this Entry

“Widget.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widget. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

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