dough

noun

ˈdō 

1

: a mixture that consists essentially of flour or meal and a liquid (such as milk or water) and is stiff enough to knead or roll

2

: something resembling dough especially in consistency

3

: money

doesn't have much dough

4

military : doughboy

doughlike

ˈdō-ˌlīk 

adjective

Synonyms

• money
• cash
• coin
• currency

Examples of dough in a Sentence

I don't have much dough.

didn't have to spend a lot of dough for a new stereo

Recent Examples on the Web

The oven also includes dough and proofing modes for baking enthusiasts to maintain low temperatures to proof yeast doughs for an even and faster rise compared to letting dough rise on a room temperature countertop. —Alice Knisley Matthias, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 June 2025

George Russell took care of making the dough, using his business smarts to run circles around the old money elite, while Bertha brought high society to heel, deploying their riches to bulldoze past all the blue bloods. —Brent Lang, Variety, 23 June 2025

Line dough with parchment paper and top paper with pie weights. —Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 21 June 2025

Set aside, covered with plastic, and continue with remaining dough. —Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English doh, dogh, dowe, going back to Old English dāg, going back to Germanic *daiga- (whence Middle Dutch deech "dough," Old High German teig, Old Norse deig, deigr, Gothic daigs), ablaut derivative from the base of *digan-, *dīgan- "to knead, shape" (whence Gothic digan, gadigan "to knead, form from clay"), going back to Indo-European *d^hei̯ǵ^h- "knead, shape" — more at feign

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dough

• dough box
• mother dough
• rolling in (the) dough

Rhymes for dough

• beau
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• eau
• eaux
• faux

Kids Definition

dough

noun

ˈdō 

1

: a soft mass of moistened flour or meal thick enough to knead or roll

2

: something resembling dough especially in consistency

3

: money sense 1a

doughy

ˈdō-ē

adjective