Meaning & use
thingy
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Meanings
nouncountableinformal
An informal word for an object whose name you cannot remember or do not know.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a thingy, the thingy, or thingies.
Patterns
- a thingy
- the thingy
- that thingy
Can you pass me the thingy — the bottle opener?
The thingy on my bike that holds the chain has come loose.
I need one of those round thingies for the bottom of the chair leg.
nouncountableinformal
Used when speaking about a person whose name you have forgotten or do not know.
Grammar: Often used with a name-like modifier: thingy from accounting.
Patterns
- thingy from somewhere
- old thingy
I was talking to thingy from the finance office yesterday.
Thingy called while you were out — I didn't catch her name.
Word forms
| plural | thingies |
|---|
Common combinations
- the thingy that
- Where's the thingy that opens this box?
- a little thingy
- There's a little thingy stuck in the printer.
- one of those thingies
- She bought one of those thingies for curling her hair.
- the thingy on
- The thingy on the back of the TV is flashing.
- you know, the thingy
- It's in the kitchen — you know, the thingy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- whatsit
- Very similar in meaning and tone, but whatsit is slightly more common in British English.
- gadget
- More specific: a gadget is a small useful device, while thingy can refer to any object or even a person.
- thing
- More general and less informal; thing can also mean an idea or situation, but thingy almost always means a physical object.
- doodad
- Mainly American and often humorous; it usually refers to a small, unimportant object.
Word family
- thing noun
- A general word for an object, idea, or situation.
- thingamajig noun
- A longer, more playful word for an object you can't name.
- thingyness noun
- Rare and humorous: the quality of being a thingy.
Commonly confused: thingy or thing? thingy or thingamabob?
thingy vs thing
Thing is the standard word and fits all registers; thingy is casual and only for when you don't know or can't recall the name.
thingy vs thingamabob
Another placeholder like thingy, but longer and more old-fashioned or humorous; thingy is more neutral and common in everyday speech.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'thingy' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
Thingy is an informal placeholder for an object you can't name, so sentence 2 fits. Sentence 1 is too formal for thingy, and sentences 3 and 4 use thingy in abstract or adverbial ways where it doesn't belong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thingy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.