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

Give me a Boston Cream, a blueberry donut, a glazed donut, and leave me alone. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Falling Leaves evokes the lushness of an apple orchard—without venturing into the sugary apple cider donuts—while Spiced Pear smells bright and a little tropical. — Kelsey Mulvey, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2026

Noun

Dapper Doughnut offers 22 doughnut flavors, from bananas foster, Nutella and cookies and cream to apple pie and chocolate glazed. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2026

Pastries Like sugary cereals, pastries like doughnuts and cinnamon rolls can quickly spike your blood sugar, leading to inflammation. — Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 6 Nov. 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