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doughnut

noun

dough·​nut ˈdō-(ˌ)nət How to pronounce doughnut (audio)
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 adjective

Examples of doughnut in a Sentence

drawing doughnuts in the sand
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The short film — rendered in cozy, nostalgic clay animation — shows the little Munchkin watching the bigger doughnuts get chosen first. Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025 In 16th-century Italy, wide barrel sleeves, sometimes layered or padded for effect, began to taper at the forearm, while the baragoni — the sleeve’s decorative upper part — transformed in shape, first resembling a cupcake, Lisby said, then narrowing to a doughnut. Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025 Others, such as Bereniece Dickenson of the Turks and Caicos Islands, slicked their hair away from their face, twisting it into a large doughnut bun on top of their head. Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 20 Nov. 2025 The Sacramento doughnut shop received a red placard after health inspectors found 25 rodent droppings beneath the three-compartment sink, chest freezer and shelving. Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for doughnut

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of doughnut was in 1782

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Doughnut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doughnut. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on doughnut

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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