donut

1 of 2

noun (1)

do·​nut

less common spelling of doughnut

1

: a small usually ring-shaped piece of sweet fried dough

2

: something (such as a mathematical torus) that has a round shape like a doughnut

3

: a controlled skid that sends an automobile into a tight circle of at least 360 degrees

—usually used in the phrase do doughnuts

Doing doughnuts? You haven't heard about this? This is what they steal the cars for. Top speed, they slam on the brakes, yank the emergency brake, twist the steering wheel, and the car starts spinning. Wheeling the car in circles at tremendous speeds.

—Philip Roth

doughnut

2 of 2

noun (2)

dough·​nut ˈdō-(ˌ)nət 

variants or less commonly donut

1

: a small usually ring-shaped piece of sweet fried dough

2

: something (such as a mathematical torus) that has a round shape like a doughnut

3

: a controlled skid that sends an automobile into a tight circle of at least 360 degrees

—usually used in the phrase do doughnuts

Doing doughnuts? You haven't heard about this? This is what they steal the cars for. Top speed, they slam on the brakes, yank the emergency brake, twist the steering wheel, and the car starts spinning. Wheeling the car in circles at tremendous speeds.

—Philip Roth

doughnutlike

ˈdō-(ˌ)nət-ˌlīk 

adjective

Examples of donut in a Sentence

Noun (2)

drawing doughnuts in the sand

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Plus, Fan Club loyalty members enjoy a free donut of their choice. —Laura Daily, Denver Post, 3 June 2026

This Friday, head to your nearest participating Dunkin', purchase any beverage, and enjoy a free donut to go with it. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 June 2026

Noun

When my family and I moved to the Bay Area in 2001, my first introductions to cakes, brownies, doughnuts and desserts were from classroom treats brought in by my teachers. —Kate Bradshaw, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026

In a way, the old joke about the doughnut and coffee cup misunderstands the power of topological thinking. —Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 20 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

dough + nut entry 1 (in sense "rounded cake or biscuit," as in ginger nut, spice nut)

First Known Use

Noun (2)

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing donut

• doughnut hole

Rhymes for donut

• abut
• catgut
• chesnut
• chestnut
• doughnut
• groundnut
• haircut
• hindgut
• midgut
• precut
• rebut
• recut