: any of various other things that might also be mentioned
paper clips, pins, and whatnot
1
: a nondescript person or thing
2
: a light open set of shelves for bric-a-brac
Synonyms
Examples of whatnot in a Sentence
Pronoun
You can use the container to hold paper clips, pins, and whatnot.
the drawer is full of spare pens, paper clips, stray elastics and whatnot
Noun
the store sells an array of whatnots for the do-it-yourself plumber
Recent Examples on the Web
Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2024
Sinden’s light gun has been a recent—if seriously expensive—alternative, but that’s a more boutique route that’s geared toward PC users, requiring fiddling with settings and ROMs and whatnot.
—Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
The problem is, the rider has to reach down and manually flip that lever, which isn't all that doable when the trail is rapidly changing back and forth between being smooth, rooty, uphill, downhill or whatnot.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2024
The Harry’s Law veteran (and, sure, Oscar winner and whatnot) gets big speeches and alternating silly and very serious beats as part of the narrative’s expansion beyond a case-of-the-week format.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whatnot 
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.
Noun
Stallone swaggers around, knocking out men decades his junior with one punch, wooing beautiful women, and building the confidence of his ragtag bunch in between drafting them to participate in gun battles with biker gangs and whatnot.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2024
Sinden’s light gun has been a recent—if seriously expensive—alternative, but that’s a more boutique route that’s geared toward PC users, requiring fiddling with settings and ROMs and whatnot.
—Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
The problem is, the rider has to reach down and manually flip that lever, which isn't all that doable when the trail is rapidly changing back and forth between being smooth, rooty, uphill, downhill or whatnot.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2024
The Harry’s Law veteran (and, sure, Oscar winner and whatnot) gets big speeches and alternating silly and very serious beats as part of the narrative’s expansion beyond a case-of-the-week format.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whatnot
Dictionary Entries Near whatnot
Cite this Entry
“Whatnot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whatnot. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whatnot
1 of 2 pronoun
what·not
ˈhwät-ˌnät 
ˈhwət-,
ˈwät-,
ˈwət-
: any of various other things that might also be mentioned
hummingbirds and hawks and owls and whatnot
whatnot
2 of 2 noun
: a light open set of shelves
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share