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

Customers can also order shakes and iced coffee drinks as well as mini churros, donut bites and other desserts. — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026

Dunkin' Dunkin' Rewards members can earn 4x points on donuts and Munchkins on July 19 to celebrate National Ice Cream Day, the company said in a news release. — Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 18 July 2026

Noun

Officers eventually located the forklift doing doughnuts at Ferns Park. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026

Marigolds will also offer pastries and baked goods from their likely daily-changing baker’s case, curated by their in-house baker, which might include treats like Danishes, doughnuts, bread or vegan biscuits. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 22 July 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