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

During the street takeover in the Harbor Gateway area, people could be seen hanging out of cars and spinning doughnuts in the intersection amid smoky clouds of burning rubber. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026

Spectators gathered in the stands, where there was warm coffee, doughnuts, and brownies. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026

All doughnuts are fried fresh to order, not made ahead. —Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026

Krispy Kreme Krispy Kreme has crafted two new doughnuts for March Madness. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026

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

Phrases Containing doughnut

• doughnut hole

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