doily

noun

doi·​ly ˈdȯi-lē How to pronounce doily (audio)
plural doilies
1
: a small napkin
2
: a small often decorative mat

Examples of doily in a Sentence

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.
The movie, in its mud-on-the-doily way, is amusing enough to get by. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Dec. 2025 Guests will be treated to table settings featuring vintage china and silver as well as delicate doilies. Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2025 Society insisted that women were the dependents of men, and working women were conveniently imagined as wives and daughters earning pocket money to purchase lace doilies for their dressing tables. Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025 Coffee filters are not just doilies to line the basket. Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for doily

Word History

Etymology

Doily or Doyley flourished 1711 London draper

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of doily was in 1711

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Doily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doily. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

doily

noun
doi·​ly ˈdȯi-lē How to pronounce doily (audio)
plural doilies
1
: a small napkin
2
: a small often decorative cloth or paper used to protect the surface of furniture

More from Merriam-Webster on doily

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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