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

Dapper Doughnut offers 22 doughnut flavors, from bananas foster, Nutella and cookies and cream to apple pie and chocolate glazed. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2026

Pastries Like sugary cereals, pastries like doughnuts and cinnamon rolls can quickly spike your blood sugar, leading to inflammation. — Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 6 Nov. 2026

Free doughnuts are limited to one per customer, while supplies last. — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2026

This doesn’t mean birthday cake, doughnuts and candy will no longer taste delicious. — Bryn Beeder, The Conversation, 1 Nov. 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