widget

noun

wid·​get ˈwi-jət How to pronounce widget (audio)
1
: gadget
2
: an unnamed article considered for purposes of hypothetical example
3
: a small software application that is designed to provide a specific piece of information (such as news, weather, or traffic updates) or a specific function (such as taking notes or controlling another application) on demand
This resource allows anglers to see what advisories are in effect in specific waterways … . The web page is optimized for mobile devices, with a widget that allows users to zoom to their exact location on the map with the press of a button.Chris Knauss
A widget might show you the weather forecast, or the latest baseball scores. There are widgets that show photographs you've stored online, or that cull images from the Daily Puppy Web site.Rob Walker

Examples of widget in a Sentence

manufacturers of all kinds of widgets for the do-it-yourselfer
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.
Much of this is presentational — widgets, layouts, animations, but there are key security differences as well. Zak Doffman, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 Dynamic Island offers enhanced functionality for notifications and widgets, providing more interactive user experiences. Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025 The corporate laborers of the industrial age were drudges, and might have needed the scaffolding of managerial hierarchies to make widgets in bulk. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025 To customize the clock design on the lock screen and add widgets, tap and hold on the lock screen to edit it. Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 13 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for widget

Word History

Etymology

alteration of gadget

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of widget was in 1924

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Widget.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widget. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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