what-do-you-call-it
Americannoun
Usage
What does what-do-you-call-it mean? What-do-you-call-it is a very informal term for an object whose name you don’t know, have forgotten, or can’t recall at the moment. It’s sometimes spelled whaddyacallit. Similar terms are what’s-it-called and whachamacallit (which is also commonly spelled whatchamacallit). It’s often used to refer to gadgets or parts of things that might not even have a commonly known name, as in Before we attach the bracket, we have to insert this what-do-you-call-it. The term is also sometimes used to refer to things that are not physical objects, such as events, types of media, or abstract concepts. It’s not typically used to refer to people (terms used for this purpose include what’s-her-name, what’s-his-name, and what’s-their-name). There are several other similarly informal words that are used in the same way as what-do-you-call-it, including whatsit, thingamajig, thingamabob, thingy, doohickey, and doodad. Example: My kids got me one of those what-do-you-call-its that track your steps. What’s it called? A stepometer?
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Or to be caught unprepared when you discover that a dining room chair leg is wobbly just before guests are scheduled to arrive and you don’t have a what-do-you-call-it to tighten it up.
From Washington Post • May 24, 2022
"Here, take it, Uncle Jeff," she said; "I declare I'm almost afraid to handle these valuable things for fear I should suddenly become a klep- what-do-you-call-it?"
From Two Little Women on a Holiday by Wells, Carolyn
College is out of the question for him, poor boy, unless he entered himself as a what-do-you-call-it?
From A Charming Fellow, Volume I (of 3) by Trollope, Frances Eleanor
It's stuffed we are, like the geese that grow the paty- what-do-you-call-it?
From My Year of the War Including an Account of Experiences with the Troops in France and the Record of a Visit to the Grand Fleet Which is Here Given for the First Time in its Complete Form by Palmer, Frederick
"This what-do-you-call-it takes a little getting used to."
From O+F by Wetterau, John Moncure
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
