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 For three days only, the green doughnuts will be available individually and by the dozen. Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2024 Augustus Ge won three qualifiers and gave up just six points along the way, including three 11-0 doughnuts. Todd Boss, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Duck Donuts: $2.29 doughnut and coffee Customers can receive a cinnamon sugar doughnut and medium hot coffee or cold brew combo for just $2.29 on Thursday, Feb. 29. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 28 Feb. 2024 Krispy Kreme gives free doughnuts for customers affected by AT&T outage Krispy Kreme gave out free glazed doughnuts for anyone who experienced cell service troubles Thursday. Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2024 One way to picture that: Laid out end to end that could make a doughnut highway extending coast to coast. Karl Ebert, Journal Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2024 Not that ▪ Potato chips or sugary foods like doughnuts, candy and processed pastries. Rochelle Koff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 According to the press release, the coffee and doughnut chain will take the place of Starbucks in Concourse A and B, the airport's only two locations. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 The one thing the incoming chefs couldn’t erase on the menu was the Tabard’s doughnut, a longtime staple on the brunch menu. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'doughnut.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near doughnut

Cite this Entry

“Doughnut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doughnut. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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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