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

Head just out of town to see covered bridges, farms, antique shops, and apple orchards selling apples and cider doughnuts. —Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025

The Kreme Puff Doughnut is filled with Krispy Kreme’s signature Kreme, dusted with powdered coating and finished with a the bakery's version of a doughnut hole, a Doughnut Dot. —Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025

The original doughnuts are covered in a rich chocolate sauce and first made their appearance on the Krispy Kreme menu last year, according to a Krispy Kreme news release. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025

Buoyant bánh tiêu sesame doughnuts are paired with ribbons of prosciutto and peppy giardiniera for a Southeast Asian take on gnocco fritto. —The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 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