What does whatsitsname mean?
Whatsitsname is an informal noun used when someone cannot remember, does not know, or would rather not say the name of a person or thing. It works as a humorous placeholder: “I saw whatsitsname yesterday” conveys that the speaker is discussing someone specific while making no effort to identify them. The word is especially useful when naming is inconvenient, obscure, or irrelevant. It can also carry a dismissive tone, suggesting that the person's or thing's name does not matter. Unlike a generic term such as “thing,” whatsitsname implies that the referent has a known or presumably existing name that the speaker is failing or avoiding to produce. In British and US conversation, it is generally more familiar than precise, formal alternatives such as “a person whose name I cannot recall.” Its playful construction makes it especially suited to casual storytelling, comic dialogue, and moments of deliberate vagueness.
nounAn informal word for a person or thing whose name the speaker cannot remember, cannot be bothered to say, or does not know. It is often used as a humorous placeholder rather than a serious reference.
- An informal placeholder for a person or thing whose name the speaker cannot remember, does not know, or does not wish to specify.
"I ran into old whatsitsname at the supermarket yesterday."
"Could you pass me that whatsitsname from the top shelf?"
"The whatsitsname from the office called while you were away."
The regular plural is used when referring to several unspecified people or things.
"The whatsitsnames left their names on the seating plan."
When memory fails, whatsitsname performs the linguistic equivalent of pointing at something and saying, “It had a name—wait, no.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of whatsitsname
The word is an English alteration of the phrase “what's its name,” itself used as a placeholder when the speaker cannot recall a name. The modern form preserves the familiar spoken rhythm of the original expression while making the indefinite reference sound more like a single word.
How whatsitsname is actually used
This is conversational and mildly humorous rather than formal. It can suggest forgetfulness, uncertainty, or deliberate avoidance of naming someone or something, and it is sometimes used in a deliberately vague or dismissive way.
Easily confused with whatsitsname
A thingamajig usually names or refers to an unspecified object, whereas a whatsitsname can refer to either a person or a thing whose name the speaker is unable or unwilling to recall.