don't
1 of 2contraction
1
: do not
I don't like it.
The shoes don't fit.
2
chiefly African American English
: does not
But she don't have any children.—
unidentified speaker, quoted in Corpus of Regional African American Language
unidentified speaker, quoted in Corpus of Regional African American Language"He's more of a … cocky dude when he is on the field," A.J. Terrell said. "He don't really show it off the field …—Derrian Carter
Derrian Carter… I felt it was necessary to reach out to her as a big sister and teammate. She don't know what she don't know coming into this league …—Erica Wheeler, quoted at The Star-Ledger (online)
Erica Wheeler, quoted at The Star-Ledger (online)
Usage of Don't
Don't was widely used as a contraction of both does not and do not in standard American English until about 1900, but by the early 20th century, schools were teaching that its use should be limited to do not. Don't as a contraction of does not continues to be used in African American English and some dialectal speech, where it is in keeping with other instances in which the third person singular verb has no inflection, such as "she go" or "he say."
: a command or entreaty not to do something
a list of dos and don'ts
Examples of don't in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
In the air for up to half of every month, flight attendants know the ins and outs, and dos and don'ts of travel better than any of us.
—Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 21 Oct. 2025
Sharp and Julia Kite-Laidlaw, a pedestrian and cyclist safety advocate with the National Safety Council, share their top do's and don'ts for walkers and bikers.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 25 Sep. 2025
In general, though, there are still some junk drawer dos and don'ts.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for don't
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Noun
Here are 6 tips to get you through What not to do
De Marco and Karson have three don'ts for stay-at-home parents thinking about getting back into the workforce.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
In the air for up to half of every month, flight attendants know the ins and outs, and dos and don'ts of travel better than any of us.
—Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 21 Oct. 2025
Sharp and Julia Kite-Laidlaw, a pedestrian and cyclist safety advocate with the National Safety Council, share their top do's and don'ts for walkers and bikers.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 25 Sep. 2025
In general, though, there are still some junk drawer dos and don'ts.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for don't
Cite this Entry
“Don't.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/don%27t. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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