don

verb \ ˈdän \

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Examples: don in a Sentence

Definition of don

donned; donning

transitive verb

1 : to put on (an article of clothing)

donned his hat and gloves

2 : to wrap oneself in : take on 3a

the donning of new and more tyrannous moralities
—Edward Sapir

See don defined for English-language learners

See don defined for kids

Examples of don in a Sentence

He donned his gloves and hat.
she donned her best gown for the ball

Recent Examples of don from the Web

In the sweltering North Carolina summer heat, Toribio Alberto dons a wide-brimmed hat and pushes an ice cream cart around apartment complexes off Nations Ford Road.

— julianna rennie, charlotteobserver, "'I don't know what I'm going to do': Elderly Charlotte ice cream man robbed at gunpoint," 6 July 2018
At a recent casting for the Nuestra Belleza Venezuela contest, a pack of teens and 20-something women donned towering heels and coated their lips in glossy pink hues before strutting in front of judges.

— Washington Post, "In embattled Venezuela, beauty offers ladder out of poverty," 6 July 2018
The 16-month-old donned a darling flamingo swimsuit and white beach hat recently that further proves Haley already has great style .... just like her mama.

— kayla keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Hoda Kotb and Jenna Hager Bush Just Posted THE Cutest Videos of Their Daughters," 5 July 2018
Not to mention a youth baseball field's dugout is usually a chain link fence guarding a wooden bench that offers little shade and the players are donned in pants, jerseys and thick socks.

— shelby dermer, Cincinnati.com, "Parents and athletes: How to spot and treat heat-related illnesses this summer," 3 July 2018
At a Greene reception, people could don boxing gloves and pretend to punch a fake Trump, a frequent target over the weekend.

— anthony man, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Democratic governor candidates seek edge for final sprint to primary," 2 July 2018
Lizzo donned a tiered canary yellow tulle dress to the BET awards in Los Angeles this past weekend.

— liana satenstein, Vogue, "The 15 Best Fashion Instagrams of the Week: Aquaria Is Always Decadent, Tracee Ellis Ross Shines," 30 June 2018
Hartford police officers will don body cameras by the end of the year, a push by city leaders to boost transparency, protect the public and shield law enforcement officials from false accusations.

— jenna carlesso, Courant Community, "Hartford Council Greenlights Purchase Of Body-Worn Cameras For Police," 29 June 2018
The three woman donned silk looks while out this week, with Lilly and Sarafyan both in Los Angeles and Jolie in London at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

— jordan amchin, Vanities, "Week in Fashion: Angelina Jolie and Evangeline Lilly Embrace Silk," 29 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of don

Middle English, contraction of do on

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

don Synonyms

don

noun \ ˈdän \

Definition of don

1 : a head (see ¹head 6a), tutor, or fellow (see fellow 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

broadly : a college or university professor

[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

See don defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of don from the Web

The trial of the octogenarian Mafia don is a reminder of how much Boston and its criminal underworld have changed.

— shelley murphy, BostonGlobe.com, "Mafia murder trial occurring now in Boston highlights how much city’s underworld has changed," 29 May 2018
Like the iconic arctic fox, the snowshoe hare dons white fur for the winter—a good camouflage in the snow.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "How the snowshoe hare is losing its white winter coat," 21 June 2018
Nefarious politicians, crime dons, illicit arms dealers and femmes fatales with dresses cut up to here populate scene after scene, set amid the Gulf’s glittering nightclubs, luxury hotels and wide-open desert highways.

— lisa tsering, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Race 3': Film Review," 18 June 2018
Choose your entree — options may include the oyako don (chicken and egg over rice), chicken katsu or a perfect bowl of local fish, chopped and served raw over rice.

— chronicle staff, SFChronicle.com, "A guide to navigating a hassle-free Mission," 17 June 2018
Thomas Troelson The young Don and the old don come together on this feel-good anthem.

— kat bein, Billboard, "Don Diablo's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks," 29 May 2018
Tuna sashimi comes on tekka don, named for the gambling dens (tekkaba) where it was served from the mid-1600s to the early 1900s.

— liz biro, Indianapolis Star, "Here's where to get a poké bowl in Indianapolis, including 5 new restaurants," 31 May 2018
Jim, the dancing don of Delos’ oddball jig on Westworld, has bestowed upon us with some excellent meme material.

— ashley hoffman, Time, "Westworld Has Delivered a Beautiful New Dance Meme-in-the-Making," 14 May 2018
Phyllis Poor, a fiber artist from Winthrop, said her British daughter-in-law dons fascinators to formal events like weddings.

— laura crimaldi, BostonGlobe.com, "Ahead of royal wedding, women make fascinators in Winthrop," 12 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of don

Spanish, from Latin dominus master — more at dame

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1523

in the meaning defined at sense 3

See Words from the same year

Other Education Terms

baccalaureate, colloquium, corequisite, dissertation, monograph, pedant, practicum, survey course, thesis

DON

abbreviation

Definition of DON

director of nursing

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

Don

geographical name \ ˈdän \

Definition of Don

river 1224 miles (1969 kilometers) long in Russia in Europe flowing southeast and then southwest into the Sea of Azov

DON Defined for English Language Learners

don

verb

Definition of don for English Language Learners

: to put on (a piece of clothing)

don

noun

Definition of don for English Language Learners

: a teacher in a college or university; especially : a teacher at Oxford or Cambridge University
: a powerful Mafia leader

DON Defined for Kids

don

verb \ ˈdän \

Definition of don for Students

donned; donning

: to put on

don a cap

Learn More about don

See words that rhyme with don Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for don Spanish Central: Translation of don Nglish: Translation of don for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of don for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about don

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don

Definition of don

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