as in what-is-it
a small article the actual name of which one either does not know or cannot remember
the store sells an array of whatnots for the do-it-yourself plumber
Synonyms & Similar Words
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ˈ(h)wät-ˌnät
as in whatever
any of various other things that might also be mentioned
the drawer is full of spare pens, paper clips, stray elastics and whatnot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of whatnot
Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
The problem is, the rider has to reach down and manually flip that lever, which isn't all that doable when the trail is rapidly changing back and forth between being smooth, rooty, uphill, downhill or whatnot.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2024
The Harry’s Law veteran (and, sure, Oscar winner and whatnot) gets big speeches and alternating silly and very serious beats as part of the narrative’s expansion beyond a case-of-the-week format.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Sep. 2024
There were never any roles to stop following or to take on or whatnot.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whatnot 
Noun
Sinden’s light gun has been a recent—if seriously expensive—alternative, but that’s a more boutique route that’s geared toward PC users, requiring fiddling with settings and ROMs and whatnot.
—Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
The problem is, the rider has to reach down and manually flip that lever, which isn't all that doable when the trail is rapidly changing back and forth between being smooth, rooty, uphill, downhill or whatnot.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2024
The Harry’s Law veteran (and, sure, Oscar winner and whatnot) gets big speeches and alternating silly and very serious beats as part of the narrative’s expansion beyond a case-of-the-week format.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Sep. 2024
There were never any roles to stop following or to take on or whatnot.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whatnot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whatnot
Noun
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Lenovo’s claim appears to be that the Legion 9i can fully cool itself with this method, no thingamajig needed.Monica Chin, The Verge, 1 Sep. 2023
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Shot in 2021, the film apparently featured a crew of Ukrainian gangsters as the henchmen of Hugh Grant’s billionaire arms dealer antagonist, Greg Simmonds (who is brokering the thingamajig deal).Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2023
Noun
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Back then, the song was a fast, visionary whatsit, all pulsing, pipe-like synths and simple, buzzing one-bit melodies.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2024
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The villain this time around isn’t a person but an all-powerful artificial-intelligence whatsit known as the Entity, which fools a super-advanced Russian submarine into destroying itself in the film’s clever pre-credits sequence.Peter Debruge, Variety, 5 July 2023
Noun
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Also: how in the name of Philadelphia Flyers hockey legend Bobby Clarke did this show get Gritty, the giant orange whatchamacallit who is the Flyers mascot, as its opening night guest star?Gene Seymour, CNN, 22 Sep. 2022
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The ranking only includes the 193 breeds that the AKC recognizes, so unfortunately, mixed breeds like maltipoos, goldendoodles and whatchamacallits aren't on it.AJ Willingham, CNN, 9 May 2020
Noun
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This small doohickey works with Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery, an exclusive Prime member benefit that protects your packages from porch pirates and increment weather.Marc Saltzman, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024
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These days, though KitchenAid sells all kinds of other doohickeys, the stand mixer is still what the company is known for.Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2024
Noun
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In fact, one of my abiding pleasures in life is finding small but transformative thingamabobs—frivolous and not at all necessary items that don’t cost much but can make life a bit sparklier, a bit easier, or just a bit sillier.Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 26 Nov. 2024
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Want to make a new crypto, or a new crypto thingamabob?Clem Chambers, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near whatnot
Cite this Entry
“Whatnot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whatnot. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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