Usage of Don't
Don't is the earliest attested contraction of does not and until about 1900 was the standard spoken form in the U.S. (it survived as spoken standard longer in British English). Dialect surveys find it more common in the speech of the less educated than in that of the educated; in those places (such as the Midland and southern Atlantic seaboard regions) where it has lasted in educated speech, it is most common with older informants. Surveys of attitudes toward usage show it more widely disapproved in 1971 than it had been 40 years earlier. Its chief use in edited prose is in fiction for purposes of characterization. It is sometimes used consciously, like ain't, to gain an informal effect.
Examples of don't in a Sentence
Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Just be sure to check the dos and don'ts of Cosplay at Indiana Comic Con.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 20 Feb. 2025
The dos and don'ts of flying can certainly be contentious, and while there are some things that many people can agree on, this issue just isn't one of them.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 May 2025
Carias, who works out of CHP's Central Division office in Fresno, Calif., shares his top road safety do's and don'ts.
1.
—Malaka Gharib, NPR, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for don't
Cite this Entry
“Don't.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/don%27t. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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