don

1 of 3

verb

ˈdän 

donned; donning

transitive verb

1

: to put on (an article of clothing)

donned his hat and gloves

2

: to wrap oneself in : take on sense 3a

the donning of new and more tyrannous moralities

—Edward Sapir

don

2 of 3

noun

1

: a head (see head entry 1 sense 6a), tutor, or fellow (see fellow sense 5) in a college of Oxford or Cambridge University

she didn't want to be a don's wife and live in Oxford forever

—Virginia Woolf

broadly : a college or university professor

2

[Italian, title of respect, from donno, literally, lord, from Latin dominus] : a powerful Mafia leader

3

: a Spanish nobleman or gentleman

—used as a title prefixed to the Christian name

4

archaic : a person of consequence : grandee

the great dons of wit

—John Dryden

DON

3 of 3

abbreviation

director of nursing

Synonyms

Verb

• put on
• slip (on or into)
• throw (on)

Examples of don in a Sentence

Verb

He donned his gloves and hat.

she donned her best gown for the ball

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Violet donned a black bra and some silver necklaces in the snap, teaming the gothic glam look with a classic dark red lip. —Becca Longmire, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024

Agatha is dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West (green skin and all), and Billy dons horns much like those of Maleficent. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2024

Noun

For example, while a typical Lego movie character might have a couple outfits, Pharrell’s dons over 80, including a Louis Vuitton damoflage suit. —Ralphie Aversa, USA TODAY, 11 Oct. 2024

By then, though, Shamo was a dark-net totem, the model for aspiring dons in every suburb. —Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, contraction of do on

Noun

Spanish, from Latin dominus master — more at dame

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1523, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing don

• don/wear sackcloth and ashes

Kids Definition

don

1 of 2 verb

ˈdän 

donned; donning

: to dress oneself in : put on

don

2 of 2 noun

1

: a Spanish nobleman or gentleman

—used as a title

2

: a teacher in a college or university

Etymology

Verb

from a contraction of do on

Noun

from Spanish don "a nobleman or gentleman," from Latin dominus "master, owner" — related to dame, dominate

Geographical Definition

Don

geographical name

ˈdän 

river 1224 miles (1969 kilometers) long in Russia in Europe flowing southeast and then southwest into the Sea of Azov