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

Throughout the evening, guests noshed on catfish nuggets, lamb kabobs with curry vinaigrette, and, my personal favorite, a doughnut with a halva and whisky caramel glaze. —Brittany Loggins, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Jan. 2026

Tim Hortons is a beloved Canadian restaurant chain that serves coffee, doughnuts and breakfast foods. —Gabriella Fine, Baltimore Sun, 7 Jan. 2026

The day is used to indulge in the traditional Polish-style doughnuts. —Jelissa Burns, Freep.com, 6 Jan. 2026

The latter is a cinnamon old fashioned-style cake doughnut covered with Original Glaze. —Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 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

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