variants or less commonly thingie
plural thingies
informal
: something that is hard to classify or whose name is unknown or forgotten : thing, thingamajig
During the session in May 1996, the geophysicist's instruments became the "yellow thingy" and the "red thingy," and the … dog became the "brown furry thing." M. Lee Goff
"I need a socket thingie," announces a very focused 13-year-old girl. Like a seasoned mechanic, 14-year-old Sophia Rogstad plucks a ratchet off the tool wall and passes it to her classmate. Lisa Wogan
… one of those hash brown thingies that looked like a baked buffalo tongue. Stephen King
"Does he seem right to you?" Carl said. "Because to me he looks unhinged. And this business about the garage-door thingy? How does that make any sense?" Richard Russo

Examples of thingy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
UFOs are unencumbered by that whole space-and-time thingy. Mike Postalakis, SPIN, 9 Dec. 2024 Feel free to steal the audio for a trendy tik tok thingy. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 22 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

thing + -y

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thingy was in 1927

Dictionary Entries Near thingy

Cite this Entry

“Thingy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thingy. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

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