Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

Words used when you do not know or cannot remember what someone or something is called

X

noun

used instead of saying the name of a person or place when you do not know it, or when you are using them as an example

so-and-so

noun

used for referring to someone whose name you do not know. You can refer to a thing whose name you do not know as such-and-such

widget

noun

a small object or piece of equipment that you do not know the name of

doodah

noun

used for referring to something that you cannot remember the name of

whatchamacallit

noun

a word that you use for referring to something when you cannot remember what it is called

whatsername

pronoun

a word that you use for referring to a woman whose name you cannot remember

whatsisname

pronoun

a word that you use for referring to a man whose name you cannot remember

thingy

noun

used for referring to something when you do not know or cannot remember the name of it

whatsit

noun

a word that you use for referring to an object when you cannot remember what it is called

thingy

noun

used for referring to someone whose name you do not know or cannot remember

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

dray

a type of cart pulled by a horse and used in the past for carrying barrels of beer

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog