doughnut

noun

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 doughnut in a Sentence

drawing doughnuts in the sand

Recent Examples on the Web

The black bucket with a purple lid and a spider atop comes filled with 50 Munchkins doughnut holes. —Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Oct. 2025

And lastly, the Spooky Sprinkle Doughnut is an Original Glazed that’s dipped in a bright green icing, with one side of the doughnut being covered in decorative Halloween sprinkles in a mix of thematic colors including purple, black and orange. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025

The doughnuts are the Original Glazed flavor. —Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 3 Oct. 2025

Now might be the best time ever to visit the Hudson Valley—and not just for its iconic fall foliage and cider doughnuts. —AFAR Media, 1 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for doughnut

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

Kids Definition

doughnut

noun

dough·​nut

variants also donut

-(ˌ)nət

1

: a small ring of sweet dough fried in fat

2

: something resembling a doughnut especially in shape