Word
thingamajig
Phoneticsthinga·ma·jig
US/ˈθɪŋəməˌdʒɪɡ/
UK/θˈɪŋɡɐmˌædʒɪɡ/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a word you use when you can't remember or don't know the name of a small object. It fills the gap when "thing" feels too vague.
n. a placeholder noun for a small object whose name is unknown, forgotten, or deemed unimportant. Informal and colloquial.
Examples
“Pass me that thingamajig on the table.”
“He rummaged through his toolbox until he found the little thingamajig that tightens the pipe fittings.”
“The inventor's workshop was cluttered with half-finished prototypes, springs, and nameless thingamajigs that only he could identify.”
Examples
simple
“Pass me that thingamajig on the table.”
contextual
“He rummaged through his toolbox until he found the little thingamajig that tightens the pipe fittings.”
complex
“The inventor's workshop was cluttered with half-finished prototypes, springs, and nameless thingamajigs that only he could identify.”
Etymology
From thingum (or thingummy) + jig, patterned metrically after gobbledygook and rigamarole; compare thingamabob and similar formations. Earliest attestation 1824, as thingumajigs.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Rare
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/thingamajig