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1

don

verb \ ˈdän \

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

When the moon aligned with the sun on Monday, millions of people across the United States donned goofy eclipse glasses to gawk at the spectacle in the sky.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "Done With Your Eclipse Glasses? Donate Them to Kids In Another Part of the World," 22 Aug. 2017
Nearly every member of the cast have turned up, from the Dude himself Jeff Bridges—who has even donned his original wardrobe and performed with his band the Abiders for the occasion—to John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, and John Turturro.

— jeff slate, Esquire, "Inside Lebowski Fest, Where the Dude Abides by the Fans," 3 Aug. 2017
Naperville Police Detective Erik Richards appeared as a member of the Naperville Special Response Team, which allowed kids to enter their vehicle as well as don a vest worn by officers that fully loaded weighs at least 35 pounds.

— david sharos, Naperville Sun, "Night Out helps Naperville residents 'connect more with neighbors'," 1 Aug. 2017
Todd was there, too, donning a white sun hat just like the one McDonnell wears.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville baseball super fan Michael Todd Esser dies at age 45," 27 July 2017
Anybody who sees a groundbreaking ceremony knows the routine — dignitaries don hardhats, grab a shovel and grin for the cameras.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "GC America groundbreaking in Alsip departs from tradition, includes purification of grounds," 19 July 2017
Kendall was spotted in L.A. this weekend donning a white crop top, an oversized gray blazer, and mom jeans with a crooked fly.

— kaleigh fasanella, Teen Vogue, "Kendall Jenner's $800 Jeans With a Crooked Fly Spark Reaction Over Hefty Price," 17 July 2017
Forget lounging around in your hotel room while donning a bathrobe, the standard in-room amenity at many midlevel and high-end properties.

— shivani vora, New York Times, "Beyond the Robe: New PJ’s for Your Hotel Stays," 13 July 2017
Each tour has its own gimmick, like costumed guides — some wear tutus, others don old-fashioned garb, and even others have creepy vampire attire.

— alexandra temblador, miamiherald, "New Orleans: 10 must-do things," 10 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

don Synonyms

Synonyms

put on, slip (on or into), throw (on)

Antonyms

doff, remove, take off

Related Words

apparel, array, attire, bedeck, bedizen, bundle up, caparison, clothe, doll up, dress, garb, rig, robe, suit, trick, uniform; overdress

Near Antonyms

disrobe, strip, undress

2

don

noun \ ˈdän \

Definition of don

1 :a Spanish nobleman or gentleman —used as a title prefixed to the Christian name

2 archaic :a person of consequence :grandee

the great dons of wit
—John Dryden

3 :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

4

[Italian, title of respect, from donno, literally, lord, from Latin dominus]

:a powerful Mafia leader

See don defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of don from the Web

Arsenal fans will be hoping to see more finishes like this when Lacazette next dons the Gunners jersey, with Arsene Wenger's side hosting Bournemouth in the Premier League after the international break.

— SI.com, "VIDEO: Arsenal Striker Alexandre Lacazette Scores Outrageous Chip in France Training," 29 Aug. 2017
Hannosuke Locations Vary The food court stall in Mitsuwa Marketplace is renowned for its ten-don (tempura donburi): heaps of tempura splashed with sauce and mounded over rice.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Essential Guide to L.A.’s Best Japanese Food," 28 Aug. 2017
The Dons also have a lot of seniors back in the fold.

— heather rule, chicagotribune.com, "Pioneer Press football preview: Notre Dame Dons," 24 Aug. 2017
Calabasas’ strong first half sent the Coyotes to a 35-12 victory over the Dons at Agoura.

— eric sondheimer, latimes.com, "Jaden Casey doesn’t miss much in Calabasas’ romp," 24 Aug. 2017
Evans has move don after leading Virginia Tech’s offense with 3,552 yards passing, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also leading the Hokies with 204 carries for 846 yards rushing and 12 rushing touchdowns.

— safid deen, OrlandoSentinel.com, "College football rankings: Virgnia Tech Hokies," 11 Aug. 2017
Plus, the classic off-the-shoulder top April is wearing is similar to one Regina dons in the movie.

— kara nesvig, Teen Vogue, "Regina George Lookalike Goes Viral For Her Senior Photos," 7 Aug. 2017
Players become competing families looking to fill the enormous shoes of the expiring don.

— charlie theel, Ars Technica, "The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire," 8 July 2017
The only difference: the professors in Harry Potter are magicians, not Oxford dons.

— mary cadden, USA TODAY, "Harry Potter's 20th anniversary: Read the original review of 'Sorcerer's Stone'," 26 June 2017

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

Spanish, from Latin dominus master — more at dame

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1523

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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Examples: don in a Sentence