: any of various other things that might also be mentioned
paper clips, pins, and whatnot
1
: a nondescript person or thing
2
: a light open set of shelves for bric-a-brac
Synonyms
Examples of whatnot in a Sentence
Pronoun
You can use the container to hold paper clips, pins, and whatnot.
the drawer is full of spare pens, paper clips, stray elastics and whatnot
Noun
the store sells an array of whatnots for the do-it-yourself plumber
Recent Examples on the Web
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2024
Late night is essentially one big ad that is broken up with smaller ads; the guests are promoting stuff while the hosts are usually giving shout-outs to their podcasts or Olympic coverage or whatnot.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 May 2024
It’s run by these brusque women who are all cousins and sisters and grandmothers and whatnot.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Aug. 2023
My dad just got me and tolerated my quirkiness and inadequacies and whatnot.
—Cholene Espinoza, Peoplemag, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for whatnot 
Noun
My father was with Royce’s mother for multiple days talking about paintings and doing certain things and whatnot.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2024
Late night is essentially one big ad that is broken up with smaller ads; the guests are promoting stuff while the hosts are usually giving shout-outs to their podcasts or Olympic coverage or whatnot.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 May 2024
It’s run by these brusque women who are all cousins and sisters and grandmothers and whatnot.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Aug. 2023
My dad just got me and tolerated my quirkiness and inadequacies and whatnot.
—Cholene Espinoza, Peoplemag, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for whatnot
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whatnot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near whatnot
Cite this Entry
“Whatnot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whatnot. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whatnot
1 of 2 pronoun
what·not
ˈhwät-ˌnät 
ˈhwət-,
ˈwät-,
ˈwət-
: any of various other things that might also be mentioned
hummingbirds and hawks and owls and whatnot
whatnot
2 of 2 noun
: a light open set of shelves
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