this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2025
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No seriously, I always get blank stares when I ask people, I've called them wall chargers or power bricks, my friend called them plug chargers, my fiancee calls them dongles. What do you call these around your house, like when you're asking someone if they've seen any (______)'s

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[–] mienshao@lemmy.world 164 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

POWER ADAPTER

Mode: YF-W36-2U

Input: 100-240v~50/60Hz 0.35A

Output: 5V=2.4A Total

[–] StarvingMartist@sh.itjust.works 54 points 1 day ago (4 children)

*Hey babe do we have any YF-W36-2U?"

"Sorry hon only 2E"

"Dammit"

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[–] BuboScandiacus@mander.xyz 104 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] Neverclear@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 day ago (3 children)
[–] Crozekiel@lemmy.zip 14 points 20 hours ago

Simple. "USB Power Adapter".

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[–] Resplendent606@piefed.social 68 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 day ago (4 children)

I second bricks. If it matters I'm in the southern US

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[–] bigbabybilly@lemmy.world 55 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Wall wart, but nobody knows what the fuck I’m talking about. “charger plug” is what those anround me expect to hear. So, that’s what I call them.

[–] gruvn@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I also use "wall wart". I also don't know anyone else who calls them that.

[–] JetpackJackson@feddit.org 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)
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[–] OboTheHobo@ttrpg.network 54 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Power brick, power adapter, or USB charger are what come to mind for me.

I gotta say I disagree heavily with your fiancee on dongles. IMO dongles are adapters for data of some kind, not just power from the wall. But to each their own I guess.

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[–] Hello_there@fedia.io 38 points 1 day ago

USB chargers

[–] squirrel@discuss.tchncs.de 35 points 1 day ago (2 children)

We call them Handyladegeräte, and I think that's beautiful

[–] bobagem@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Had to check that out.

Handy = mobile phone
lade[n] = charge
geräte = devices

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Handy
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ladeger%C3%A4t

[–] ValiantDust@feddit.org 10 points 1 day ago

I sometimes also use Netzteil.

(Literally: Net thing. The net is the power grid)

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago (1 children)
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[–] wiccan2@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Phone charger

But in the case of the ones in the pic, fire hazzard

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[–] garth@sh.itjust.works 29 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)
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[–] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Charger block/brick. I'm definitrly siding with you; "dongle" is a bit of a stretch for these.

[–] Fogle@lemmy.ca 22 points 21 hours ago (7 children)

It's not a stretch it's wrong. It's not a dongle at all

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[–] CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.cafe 23 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

As it says on the device, power adapter. But if you wanted to be more specific, you could call it a USB power adapter.

Wall charger should also get the message across.

Take your fiancée to the hospital & check for stroke. Dongles...are something entirely different. Always.

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[–] andrewta@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I’m reading through the comments and pretty much I’ve heard them called all of them and I’ve called them most of them

Except a wall wart

[–] Forgottengoldfish@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago

USB power adapter

[–] ch00f@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago

Fire hazards

[–] monogram@feddit.nl 16 points 1 day ago

As a european, with safer plugs, a fire hazard.

Brick or Charger

[–] triptrapper@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

AC adapters

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 15 points 16 hours ago

Clearly labeled power adapters

[–] TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

AC/DC-inator

Full Bridge Rectifier

"no not an iPhone charger, I need USB C"

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[–] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 23 hours ago

I think I'd call them "bad USB chargers"

[–] mechoman444@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

My favorite has always been "wall wart"

[–] taiyang@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't know, but now I'm calling them wall warts because this community corrupts us, lol.

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[–] grasshopper_mouse@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

Charging block/brick

[–] MattTheProgrammer@lemmy.world 10 points 19 hours ago

I call those release the Epstein files

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

"Brick," or "charger brick." Sometimes "AC adapter."

[–] wshrader@lemmy.today 10 points 16 hours ago

“Charging block”

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 10 points 11 hours ago

All of that minus dongles. Never dongles!

[–] OfCourseNot@fedia.io 10 points 1 day ago

I call them '..a brick, a power brick.. a charger, no, the part you plug..'. Lmao, I carry one of these, whatever its cursed name is, with me literally everywhere I go so I don't have to ask for the thing. I feel you sib.

See also: portable USB memory.

Edit: unless you need another thing! A power bank? 'This?' Taking out a brick. A usb-c cable? 'What?' Phone charger? 'This?' No, the cable.. thanks.. sorry this is usb-a I'm gonna need the brick as well.. 'the what?' Smh.

[–] Toneswirly@lemmy.world 10 points 20 hours ago

Phone Charger/Wall Charger

[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 10 points 5 hours ago

USB charger

[–] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

All of these work except "dongle". a dongle had a specific purpose in my day, some high end software wouldnt work without the dongle (a USB, serial or parallel device) plugged into the computer. Was an anti piracy device.

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 day ago

Dongle? That implies connection to a host computer.

[–] SethranKada@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 day ago
[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 1 day ago
[–] Phegan@lemmy.world 9 points 12 hours ago (1 children)
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[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Wall wart or charging brick.

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[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 day ago

usb charger / usb wall plug / usb power adapter

drop the 'usb' when the context makes it obvious

[–] neomachino@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 day ago

Usually charger brick or just brick

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