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What exactly is a contraption?
In the words of one Little Mermaid, “I’ve got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty.” It would have been on-theme (though perhaps a bit clunky) for the aquatic princess to include in her siren song the word contraption. Synonymous with both gadget and gizmo, and widget too, in referring to mechanical and electronic devices, contraption is also one of a raft of terms people reach for when talking about various human-made bits and bobs, whether mechanical or not. (It's thought to have possibly been formed as a blend of contrivance, trap, and invention.) Want more thingamabob words? Try doohickey, thingamajig, dingus, or doodad.
Examples of contraption in a Sentence
Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 10 Feb. 2026
Using this contraption, Grigson has performed sophisticated experiments on GLP-1s and addiction.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Get creative by creating a marble maze and building a one-of-a-kind contraption with cardboard.
—Elena Donovan Mauer, Parents, 8 Feb. 2026
The barber chair, the locus of Sweeney’s revenge on the heartless cruelty of a Victorian London that wrecked his life, isn’t the elaborate contraption of other productions.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contraption
Cite this Entry
“Contraption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contraption. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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contraption
noun
