doughnut

noun

dough·​nut ˈdō-(ˌ)nət How to pronounce doughnut (audio)
variants or less commonly
1
: a small usually ring-shaped piece of sweet fried dough
2
: something (such as a mathematical torus) that has a round shape like a doughnut
3
: a controlled skid that sends an automobile into a tight circle of at least 360 degrees
usually used in the phrase do doughnuts
Doing doughnuts? You haven't heard about this? This is what they steal the cars for. Top speed, they slam on the brakes, yank the emergency brake, twist the steering wheel, and the car starts spinning. Wheeling the car in circles at tremendous speeds.Philip Roth
doughnutlike adjective

Examples of doughnut in a Sentence

drawing doughnuts in the sand
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Krispy Kreme at McDonald's Indiana restaurants will start selling doughnuts. Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 11 Nov. 2025 The jubilee began in earnest in Lexington and Concord on April 19, 2025—the anniversary of the shot heard round the world, marking the start of the war—with an early-morning battle reënactment, and very tasty cider doughnuts. Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025 Since 1967, the Morton Pumpkin Festival has been the highlight of the year, bringing more than 75,000 visitors for four days of parades, live music, and pie-eating contests, along with chili, doughnuts, and lattes. Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025 And these are people old enough to have a life’s worth of cinnamon rolls and apple cider doughnuts under their belt. Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 7 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for doughnut

Word History

Etymology

dough + nut entry 1 (in sense "rounded cake or biscuit," as in ginger nut, spice nut)

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of doughnut was in 1782

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Doughnut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doughnut. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

doughnut

noun
dough·​nut
variants also donut
-(ˌ)nət
1
: a small ring of sweet dough fried in fat
2
: something resembling a doughnut especially in shape

More from Merriam-Webster on doughnut

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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