doff

play

verb \ ˈdäf , ˈdȯf \

Updated on: 9 Aug 2017

Definition of doff

transitive verb

1 a :to remove (an article of wear) from the body

b :to take off (the hat) in greeting or as a sign of respect

2 :to rid oneself of :put aside

— doff one's hat to or doff one's cap to

:to show respect to :salute

See doff defined for English-language learners

See doff defined for kids

doff was our Word of the Day on 07/27/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of doff in a Sentence

He doffed his cap as he introduced himself.
They doffed their coats when they came inside.

Recent Examples of doff from the Web

Read more: In touring the exhibits, Trump doffed a Stetson hat made in Texas and practiced his stroke with a golf putter made by the Ping company of Arizona, and swung a baseball bat made by Marucci Sports of Louisiana.

— david jackson, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana brooms sweep into White House for 'Made in America' week," 17 July 2017
A residential surveillance camera recorded the robber doffing the items, according to McGregor.

— michelle hunter, NOLA.com, "East Jefferson robberies committed in ex-employer's hat, police say," 23 June 2017
On the most excruciatingly hot day, officials did make a tradition-breaking exception, allowing men to doff their coats and hats intermittently.

— steven stolman, Town & Country, "How to Get into the Royal Enclosure at Ascot," 23 June 2017
After 20 minutes, the runners doffed their ice packs and ran again.

— gretchen reynolds, New York Times, "Hot Weather Workout? Try a Hot Bath Beforehand," 14 June 2017
Tiger Woods' hair is usually covered by a sponsors' cap, to be doffed when the day is done.

— bernie lincicome, chicagotribune.com, "Tiger Woods, like his long lost golf game, isn't a pretty picture," 10 June 2017
Limit of 2 personal items Visitors to the Aon Center's 76th floor are greeted by a bronze statue of the monocled Mr. Peanut doffing his top hat.

— greg trotter, chicagotribune.com, "Working at Kraft Heinz means competition, cost-cutting, and for some, reward," 25 May 2017
But, although Hacker doesn’t note it explicitly, there’s a liberal version, too, having to do with doffing corporate structures, eschewing inhibiting social norms, and refusing a career in plastics.

— nathan heller, The New Yorker, "Is the Gig Economy Working?," 15 May 2017
At the top end of the street stands Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, its bright orange shopfront standing out from the crowd of blackness, and featuring the moving model of one of the red-haired twins doffing his hat, bursting out of the windows.

— nathan barry, WIRED, "Diving Into The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour," 30 Mar. 2012

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'doff.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

doff vs Don

Time was, people talked about doffing and donning articles of wear with about the same frequency. But in the mid-19th century the verb don became significantly more popular and left doff to flounder a bit in linguistic semi-obscurity. Doff and don have been a pair from the start: both date to the 14th century, with doff coming from a phrase meaning "to do off" and don from one meaning "to do on." Shakespeare was first, as far as we know, to use the word as it's defined at sense 2. He put it in Juliet's mouth: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet. / … Romeo, doff thy name; / And for that name, which is no part of thee, / Take all myself."