widget
/ˈwɪdʒɪt/ noun [C] informalDefinition
› INTERNET, IT a small computer program, usually connected with an image, that can be added to a website to allow the user to do something. For example, you might click on a widget to find out weather or stock market information: The survey showed that more than 300 million widgets were used on the web last month. Widgets let you display Twitter updates on your website or social network page.
› IT one of many small computer programs that make up what you see on a computer screen, and that allow you to take particular actions. A widget might be a button that you click on, or a scroll bar (= strip at the side of the screen used for moving its contents up, down, or sideways), etc.: This short video shows someone trying every widget on the application's interface.
› PRODUCTION an imaginary product, used in explanations, school books, etc. as an example of a company's typical product: What if a hypothetical company, Futuristic, Inc. has a 250% increase in demand for Widget A that it is not prepared to handle. One area of e-commerce that is expected to grow rapidly is online business-to-business auctions which allow, say, widget producers and widget users to make direct deals.
› UK informal a small tool or other useful object that you do not know the name of: The company offers a huge range of widgets for customers who need to mend their gadgets and small appliances. The helmet has a clever widget attached that will record your experience as you cycle down the mountain.
(Definition of widget noun from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press)
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