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

Other big stories ➤ Tacos, pizza and doughnuts: 43 new restaurants are now open in metro Phoenix. —Mark Jones, The Arizona Republic, 4 Nov. 2024

Due to a freak lightning storm, Mr. Lad and other oversize advertising figures come to life during the night, searching for the missing doughnut and wreaking havoc on Springfield. —Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024

Previous releases include Total Solar Eclipse Doughnut in April, Artemis Moon Doughnut in 2022 and the Strawberry Supermoon and Mars doughnuts in 2021. —Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 15 Oct. 2024

Videos showed people stealing from a Nike Jordan store on Broadway and cars doing doughnuts at intersections to roars from bystanders. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 31 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