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

Sacramento County health inspectors closed a local 7-Eleven, a Chinese restaurant and a doughnut shop after discovering dozens of rodent droppings. —Sacbee.com, 3 Dec. 2025

Celebrate the joy of Hanukkah with spirited singing, delicious sufganiot (doughnuts), and other festive treats, according to Congregation Beth Am’s website. —Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2025

The collaboration also brings back two returning flavors — the Santa Belly and Holiday Sprinkle doughnuts. —Kate Perez, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025

For years, the founder of Traveling Grace Ministries visited the Old Wheat Street encampment every Monday morning with fresh coffee and doughnuts. —Holly Yan, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 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