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

Dunkin’s Halloween merchandise takes clear inspiration from the baked good with a costume onesie, pillows, hats and more swag decorated with the doughnut. —Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025

The bakery also makes apple fritters, croissant doughnuts and wheat-free doughnuts and serves Equator coffee. —Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025

Arizona's love for doughnuts has grown since. —Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025

Dunkin’ is celebrating Halloween early this year with a new seasonal drink and a creepy-crawly doughnut. —Helena Wegner, Miami Herald, 16 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