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

Eating a donut earlier in the day is easier on your body than eating it at night when insulin sensitivity and metabolism slow. —Brandi Jones, Verywell Health, 12 June 2026

But there are a few donut and coffee shops that may also offer bagels. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026

Noun

Officers received reports of a possible burglary at the Bad Bakers doughnut shop in the 2000 block of Town Center Plaza on Friday morning. —Reeti Malhotra, Sacbee.com, 8 June 2026

There are Friday-night pizza takeovers at doughnut shops like the Bakery, and Saturday-morning doughnut takeovers at pizzerias such as Sally. —Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 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