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

The doughnut is unglazed and filled with cookies and Kreme filling, dipped in yellow icing and swirled with chocolate cookie pieces. —Charna Flam, People.com, 15 Oct. 2024

The Supermoon special doughnuts will be available at participating stores across the U.S. for one day only: Thursday, Oct. 17. —Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 15 Oct. 2024

Taste of home Video Ad Feedback Why the taste of these doughnuts is important to the US Army. 00:59 - Source: CNN Bakers at a US Army base in South Korea have the secret recipe for Krispy Kreme doughnuts so troops can get an authentic taste of home. —Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 12 Oct. 2024

While Krispy Kreme is rolling out the doughnuts, McDonald’s is also trying to get people excited about their own new menu item: Chicken Big Mac. —Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 11 Oct. 2024

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

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