doff

verb

ˈdäf 

ˈdȯf

doffed; doffing; doffs

transitive verb

1

a

: to remove (an article of wear) from the body

b

: to take off (the hat) in greeting or as a sign of respect

2

: to rid oneself of : put aside

Phrases

doff one's hat to or doff one's cap to

: to show respect to : salute

Did you know?

Doff vs Don

Time was, people talked about doffing and donning articles of clothing with about the same frequency. But in the mid-19th century the verb don became significantly more popular and left doff to flounder a bit in linguistic semi-obscurity. Doff and don have been a pair from the start: both date to the 14th century, with doff arising as a Middle English contraction of the phrase "to do off" and don as a contraction of "to do on." Shakespeare was among the first, as far as we know, to use the word as it's defined in the more general sense of "to rid oneself of" or "put aside." He has Juliet give voice to this sense when she says, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet. / … Romeo, doff thy name; / And for that name, which is no part of thee, / Take all myself."

Synonyms

• douse
• peel (off)
• put off
• remove
• shrug off
• take off

Examples of doff in a Sentence

He doffed his cap as he introduced himself.

They doffed their coats when they came inside.

Recent Examples on the Web

Organizers recited an ancient Hawaiian prayer before we were each provided a tool, and told to doff our shoes and step into the frigid waters surrounding the fields. —Tykesha Spivey Burton, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 July 2024

Shame is doffed like a dowdy jacket; the body is unequivocally embraced. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2024

The South American player, 37, doffed his shirt and unbuckled his pants to play through the 13th hole after his ball landed on the muddy shore of a pond at the DP World Tour’s Soudal Open in Schilde, Belgium on Friday, May 24. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 24 May 2024

Kylie and Jason officially met the Grammy winner during the Chiefs' game against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 21 — the playoff game where Jason famously doffed his shirt and chugged a few beers. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from don to do + of off

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

doff

verb

ˈdäf 

ˈdȯf

: to take off (as one's hat as an act of politeness)

Etymology

Middle English doffen "to take off," from don "to do" and of "off"