donned; donning
1
: to put on (an article of clothing)
donned his hat and gloves
2
: to wrap oneself in : take on sense 3a
the donning of new and more tyrannous moralities—
Edward Sapir
Edward Sapir1
: a head (see head entry 1 sense 6a), tutor, or fellow (see fellow sense 5) in a college of Oxford or Cambridge University
she didn't want to be a don's wife and live in Oxford forever—Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf
broadly
: a college or university professor
2
[Italian, title of respect, from donno, literally, lord, from Latin dominus]
: a powerful Mafia leader
3
: a Spanish nobleman or gentleman
—used as a title prefixed to the Christian name
4
archaic
: a person of consequence : grandee
the great dons of wit—John Dryden
John Dryden
director of nursing
Examples of don in a Sentence
Verb
He donned his gloves and hat.
she donned her best gown for the ball
Recent Examples on the WebSabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
That curious combination donned on general manager John Lynch only after Friday’s action was done.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
Usher wore a pair of Schlumberger’s iconic Bird on a Rock brooches, while Emily Blunt donned the designer’s Tiffany Floret necklace, a showcase of turquoise stones totaling more than 105 carats, surrounded by diamonds and set in platinum and 18-karat yellow gold.
—Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Apr. 2024
The three gents wore some impressive timepieces by the Crown this week, with the British actor rocking a GMT-Master II, the Spanish tennis player donning a Daytona, and the American golfer sporting a Submariner.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2024
The two blonds, who sat front-row for the event, donned complementary outfits for the occasion.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
Female athletes criticize Nike’s skimpy Olympic track uniform Nike
Nike unveiled uniforms that U.S. track athletes can don in the Paris Olympics this summer, and one particular female outfit has drawn most of the attention — for apparently being skimpy and revealing.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Courtesy of Nike Adding to the cool factor, Nike hosted its own fashion show in the city known for its incomparable fashion week, with some of Nike's most famous athletes donning pieces designed by buzzy partners like AMBUSH and Martine Rose.
—Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 16 Apr. 2024
On day two, the fit young Case had donned some of Haldane’s extra-large clothing and shoes and clambered into a water tub inside the chamber, with water that was 50 degrees Fahrenheit and large blocks of ice chained to the bottom.
—Rachel Lance, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024
History: Old Town held on through the days of the Spanish dons, the Mexican Revolution, the Mexican War and the arrival of statehood in 1850.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Oct. 2023
Friday’s date, July 7, is the couple’s anniversary and also matches the uniform number Doncic dons in Dallas, 77.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 7 July 2023
Its current don is Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 27 Mar. 2023
What will your favorite performer don this evening, though?
—Vogue, 26 Feb. 2023
Though showing considerable variety in their plots and themes, James’s ghost stories typically feature a male scholar, often an unmarried university don, who notices something anomalous in a decaying church, an old manuscript or a bit of folklore.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2023
DSP Forced into exile after an encounter with a ruthless don, a young man returns as a policy officer to exact revenge on his nemesis.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2022
In Tracksmith’s tale of art and intellect intersecting with commerce, arguably the biggest coup to date has been getting Malcolm Gladwell, the British-Canadian don of populist intellectualism, on board.
—Katie Baron, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2022
Verb
At the gala, Patrick, 28, wore an all-black tuxedo, while Brittany, 28, donned a Sau Lee gown with a crystal crop top that bared her abs and rib tattoo.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
That curious combination donned on general manager John Lynch only after Friday’s action was done.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
Usher wore a pair of Schlumberger’s iconic Bird on a Rock brooches, while Emily Blunt donned the designer’s Tiffany Floret necklace, a showcase of turquoise stones totaling more than 105 carats, surrounded by diamonds and set in platinum and 18-karat yellow gold.
—Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Apr. 2024
The three gents wore some impressive timepieces by the Crown this week, with the British actor rocking a GMT-Master II, the Spanish tennis player donning a Daytona, and the American golfer sporting a Submariner.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2024
The two blonds, who sat front-row for the event, donned complementary outfits for the occasion.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
Female athletes criticize Nike’s skimpy Olympic track uniform Nike
Nike unveiled uniforms that U.S. track athletes can don in the Paris Olympics this summer, and one particular female outfit has drawn most of the attention — for apparently being skimpy and revealing.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Courtesy of Nike Adding to the cool factor, Nike hosted its own fashion show in the city known for its incomparable fashion week, with some of Nike's most famous athletes donning pieces designed by buzzy partners like AMBUSH and Martine Rose.
—Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 16 Apr. 2024
On day two, the fit young Case had donned some of Haldane’s extra-large clothing and shoes and clambered into a water tub inside the chamber, with water that was 50 degrees Fahrenheit and large blocks of ice chained to the bottom.
—Rachel Lance, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
Instead of the dour, moralistic tales that were considered appropriate nursery fare at the time, Dodgson served up absurdist takes on Victorian England’s polite tea parties, its eccentric dons, its gossipy news stories, its popular poems, songs, dances, and parlor games.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024
History: Old Town held on through the days of the Spanish dons, the Mexican Revolution, the Mexican War and the arrival of statehood in 1850.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Oct. 2023
Friday’s date, July 7, is the couple’s anniversary and also matches the uniform number Doncic dons in Dallas, 77.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 7 July 2023
Its current don is Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 27 Mar. 2023
What will your favorite performer don this evening, though?
—Vogue, 26 Feb. 2023
Though showing considerable variety in their plots and themes, James’s ghost stories typically feature a male scholar, often an unmarried university don, who notices something anomalous in a decaying church, an old manuscript or a bit of folklore.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2023
DSP Forced into exile after an encounter with a ruthless don, a young man returns as a policy officer to exact revenge on his nemesis.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2022
In Tracksmith’s tale of art and intellect intersecting with commerce, arguably the biggest coup to date has been getting Malcolm Gladwell, the British-Canadian don of populist intellectualism, on board.
—Katie Baron, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'don.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near don
Cite this Entry
“Don.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/don. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
don
2 of 2 noun1
: a Spanish nobleman or gentleman
—used as a title
2
: a teacher in a college or university
Geographical Definition
Don
geographical name
river 1224 miles (1969 kilometers) long in Russia in Europe flowing southeast and then southwest into the Sea of Azov
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