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
Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2026
Twiggy, who attended the brand’s spring 2026 show last September at the giant tent set up at Kensington Palace Gardens, sports a leather trenchcoat with fringe in the campaign, while Wigram dons a brown paisley laser-cut suede trenchcoat with whipstitching detail.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
The look is a far cry from the full body suit his character Maximus dons in episode 7, which is the first time fans of the game are treated to NCR power armor in the series.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
For now, that venture will be on hold as Kershaw dons his Skechers cleats at least one more time.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
After the revolutionary group the French 75 goes into hiding, Mae West dons a black Edna Mode–style bob to lurk around a grocery store.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
And yet, the women insist on glamour and dignity — one performer dons a beautiful, elaborate bikini and dances like the room is packed with adoring fans.
—James Factora, Them., 12 Dec. 2025
Just as sunlight interrupts the darkness over his small Hokkaido city, the 76-year-old pulls on his rain boots and dons a bright orange jacket.
—Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
That motif extends to the trippy video, where McRae dons angel wings, like a Gen Z version of Claire Danes in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2025
Verb
Chin puts her hair up in a bun, dons a shawl and essentially becomes her mother.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2026
Twiggy, who attended the brand’s spring 2026 show last September at the giant tent set up at Kensington Palace Gardens, sports a leather trenchcoat with fringe in the campaign, while Wigram dons a brown paisley laser-cut suede trenchcoat with whipstitching detail.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
The look is a far cry from the full body suit his character Maximus dons in episode 7, which is the first time fans of the game are treated to NCR power armor in the series.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
For now, that venture will be on hold as Kershaw dons his Skechers cleats at least one more time.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
After the revolutionary group the French 75 goes into hiding, Mae West dons a black Edna Mode–style bob to lurk around a grocery store.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
And yet, the women insist on glamour and dignity — one performer dons a beautiful, elaborate bikini and dances like the room is packed with adoring fans.
—James Factora, Them., 12 Dec. 2025
Just as sunlight interrupts the darkness over his small Hokkaido city, the 76-year-old pulls on his rain boots and dons a bright orange jacket.
—Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
That motif extends to the trippy video, where McRae dons angel wings, like a Gen Z version of Claire Danes in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dons
Verb
-
Middleburg also dresses to the nines for the holiday season, with festivities kicking off the first weekend of December during a multiday affair known as Christmas in Middleburg.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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Back then, she had been advised—free of charge—by stylist Bailey Moon, who dresses the likes of Morgan Spector and Cristin Milioti and is most widely known for having worked with Jill Biden and her family throughout president Joe Biden’s administration.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Yale University, Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles are among the schools that have recently placed professors on leave, seen faculty resign or made other changes over faculty members’ ties to Jeffrey Epstein.—
Brian Herman,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
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Calling these early moments of the bit act-outs don’t quite do them justice, as Fleming throws himself into the performance with an uninhibited ferocity that would make his college professors proud.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The shift also can set off a scramble to find new doctors or specialists that accept the patient’s insurance.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The heart of his defense may hinge on allegations that his doctors didn’t attempt to place him on a psychiatric hold amid the shift in medication, despite his concerning behavior.—
New York Daily News,
Boston Herald,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Additionally, the university gave deans of schools and colleges the opportunity to request exemptions for non-core curriculum courses.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The university says students will have the option to attend some classes virtually, depending on their courses, and guidance on that will come from their deans' offices.—
Ubah Ali,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Federal regulators are shutting down more than 550 commercial driving schools nationwide after finding unqualified instructors, inadequate testing and other safety failures.—
Josh Funk,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The facility can be arranged with the floorplan of a typical school or office building, and instructors can change the arrangement easily so trainees don’t become accustomed to the same scenario again and again.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The organization puts on talks and networking events for women of color in Sacramento, and solicits sponsorships from companies like AT&T and the California Faculty Association.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Branson, Missouri The fall foliage puts on just as much of a show as any of the performers in Branson, a perennial favorite among Midwest family vacation destinations.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As much as short hair suits Joey King, this shoulder-length, blunt cut with bangs might just be even more stunning.—
Krista Carter,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
-
In the initial meeting between Isabel and Pat, this intimacy feels borderline intrusive in a manner that suits the scene.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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My schoolteachers introduced me to a mix of African and Kenyan classics by such authors as Chinua Achebe and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The San Francisco Unified School District’s 120 schools were set to remain closed for a third day Wednesday, after about 6,000 public schoolteachers went on strike over higher wages, health benefits, and more resources for students with special needs.—
Olga R. Rodriguez,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dons. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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