donkey

noun don·key \ ˈdäŋ-kē , ˈdəŋ- , ˈdȯŋ- \

Definition of donkey

plural donkeys

1 :the domestic ass (Equus asinus)

2 :a stupid or obstinate person

See donkey defined for English-language learners

See donkey defined for kids

Examples of donkey in a Sentence

we put our bags on the donkey and headed down the canyon
called him a donkey when he refused to go along with their plans

Recent Examples of donkey from the Web

In the real world, this issue is one of the reasons humans ride horses and donkeys but not, say, cattle.

— william gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "'Game of Thrones' Science: Could a Person Ride a Dragon?," 15 Aug. 2017
The donkey was named after Donald Duck, the favorite cartoon character of Cozart's son Cooper.

— tom groeschen, Cincinnati.com, "Reds Notes: Talking Mesoraco, Cozart and ... the donkey," 5 Aug. 2017
The farm also is home to turkeys — the fair’s turkey races are run by Riegler’s wife, Nancy — and parrots, sheep, donkeys and horses.

— hillary davis, Daily Pilot, "Udderly delightful: Dairy camels bring a different kind of milk to O.C. Fair," 3 Aug. 2017
Just as leopards don’t change their spots, a donkey can never stop acting like an ass.

— kyle smith, National Review, "The Democrats’ Anthropological Field Trip to Study Americans," 26 July 2017
This anger is mixed with a mysterious need to head into the woods late at night with the convent’s donkey.

— rick bentley, idahostatesman, "‘Little Hours’ shows nothing’s sacred," 13 July 2017
But as Bottom’s donkey dream drives home, even this motley crew is transformed by what neither eye nor ear experience in everyday life.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "American Players Theatre's trippy 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' a gift to fans," 5 July 2017
Greek authorities and conservationists say bands of impoverished Albanians are making regular cross-border forays, illegally harvesting donkey-loads of herbs and medicinal plants.

— costas kantouris, The Seattle Times, "Looters strip Greek mountains of wild tea, rare plants," 2 July 2017
Universities nationwide bring dogs (and a donkey) onto campus to soothe students during finals.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Therapy animals are increasingly common, but do they help?," 2 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of donkey

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1785

See Words from the same year

donkey Synonyms

Synonyms

ass, burro, jackass, moke [British slang]

Antonyms

brain, genius

Related Words

jack, jennet, jenny; hinny, mule; pack animal

Near Antonyms

egghead, intellect, intellectual, sage, thinker, whiz, wizard; polymath, Renaissance man; sharpie (or sharpy)

DONKEY Defined for English Language Learners

donkey

noun

Definition of donkey for English Language Learners

: an animal that is like a small horse with large ears

DONKEY Defined for Kids

donkey

noun don·key \ ˈdäŋ-kē , ˈdəŋ- , ˈdȯŋ- \

Definition of donkey for Students

plural donkeys

:an animal related to but smaller than the horse that has short hair in mane and tail and very large ears

Learn More about donkey

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

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donkey

Definition of donkey

From the M-W Editors

Examples of donkey in a Sentence

Recent Examples of donkey from the Web

Origin and Etymology of donkey

donkey Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to DONKEY

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DONKEY Defined for English Language Learners

donkey

Definition of donkey for English Language Learners

DONKEY Defined for Kids

donkey

Definition of donkey for Students

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