as in dresses
to place on one's person
she donned her best gown for the ball
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Recent Examples of dons
Riley Jones, Footwear News, 27 May 2026
Stage coaches trot down Mule Alley, the smell of BBQ is in the air, and everyone dons their boots and cowboy hats for dinner.
—Nathanael Gassett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 May 2026
Building Champions in Norman As soon as their new pupil dons the crimson and cream, their Sooner transformation begins.
—Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
But when a Stormtrooper shootout occurs or Mando has to take down a colossal space beast, stuntman Lateef Crowder dons the armor.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 24 May 2026
Later in the vid, Charli dons a high, messy ponytail and a chic bun, all paired with some seriously glam runway eye shadow via YSL Beauty.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 22 May 2026
Marc Anthony dons a navy blazer and black button-up for the 2026 TelevisaUnivision Upfront on May 12 in New York City.
—People Staff, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
Even Luke Skywalker dons a pair of beige Levi’s—transformed from a miner’s uniform into a symbol of rebellious cool by the likes of James Dean—to blend in with the desert sands of Tatooine, a former mining outpost.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Naomi Osaka dons two looks on the carpet.
—Chelsea Stahl, NBC news, 4 May 2026
Verb
The new group’s Bronze Green/Raffia/Coral dons a green upper with brown midsole detailing and red branding.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 27 May 2026
Stage coaches trot down Mule Alley, the smell of BBQ is in the air, and everyone dons their boots and cowboy hats for dinner.
—Nathanael Gassett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 May 2026
Building Champions in Norman As soon as their new pupil dons the crimson and cream, their Sooner transformation begins.
—Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
But when a Stormtrooper shootout occurs or Mando has to take down a colossal space beast, stuntman Lateef Crowder dons the armor.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 24 May 2026
Later in the vid, Charli dons a high, messy ponytail and a chic bun, all paired with some seriously glam runway eye shadow via YSL Beauty.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 22 May 2026
Marc Anthony dons a navy blazer and black button-up for the 2026 TelevisaUnivision Upfront on May 12 in New York City.
—People Staff, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
Even Luke Skywalker dons a pair of beige Levi’s—transformed from a miner’s uniform into a symbol of rebellious cool by the likes of James Dean—to blend in with the desert sands of Tatooine, a former mining outpost.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Naomi Osaka dons two looks on the carpet.
—Chelsea Stahl, NBC news, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dons
Verb
-
The most famous Colombian fan is Gustavo Llanos, known as El Cole (Birdman), who dresses like a tri-colored bird and has been to every World Cup Colombia participated in since 1990.—
Michelle Kaufman
May 29,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
-
Hannah dresses less like a modern college student and more like how an older generation remembers quirky girls dressing in their own late teens and early twenties.—
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Instead of focusing primarily on outcomes, professors and clinics should be alert to burnout appearing not only as low performance but also as perfectionism, emotional shutdown, avoidance or people-pleasing.—
Sharon A. Kuhn,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Harvard’s professors clearly agree.—
Sage Lattman,
airmail.news,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
There’s infectious joy and wonder as the Eridian who will come to be known as Rocky begins communicating with Ryland, at first with rudimentary signals and then with more complex language once Ryland rigs a translation device.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And a health system’s ability to schedule surgeries is gated not just by the availability of doctors and nurses, but also by its ability to maintain a constant flow of clean, reusable medical tools to its operating rooms.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
-
Inside, the ship functions like a floating city, with pilots, flight crews, cooks, doctors and firefighters all working around the clock while deployed around the world.—
Sarah Alegre,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Lloyd was born in Berkeley and raised in Lafayette by his parents, Lester Lloyd, one of the deans of the San Francisco printing industry, and Mildred Lloyd, a librarian at Stanley Middle School.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
-
But if the online tool cannot be turned back on safely, school officials will work with deans, department heads, and instructors regarding alternate ways to end the semester, sharing more information before noon Sunday.—
William Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Unions representing graduate workers, adjuncts and non-tenure-track instructors have organized in recent years at several campuses, including New York University, Columbia and Harvard.—
Jaweed Kaleem,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
Those scenes' lighthearted whimsy, featuring late-night hijinks with classmates pranking grumpy instructors, pays off in the story's earliest tragedies.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Hollywood puts on hundreds of events each year — premieres, galas and FYC events — and the majority of the time those red carpets are not recycled.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Last week, the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the annual Swedish Days festival, announced that the parade traditionally held on the final day of the celebration would be paused this year.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rogers suits what Chelsea are looking for in the market for a variety of reasons.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
The comfy sectional sofa naturally suits garden party mingling, and even comes with a complementary coffee table that’s equally weather-resistant.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dons. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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