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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
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The movie is less a screwball comedy than a screwball contraption—a madcap farce that the screenwriters have reduced to a math problem.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
In this case, pressing L2 and R2 at the same time activates a type of vision that will show players demonic contraptions that are invisible to the human eye.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2025
Edison Cannon: An experimental contraption based on designs by the gunsmith Medvedik.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contraption
Cite this Entry
“Contraption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contraption. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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contraption
noun
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