donning

[ don-ing ]

noun

1. the act of putting on a garment or piece of equipment:

   In the ancient Middle East, the donning of sackcloth was a sign of mourning.

   Participants will gain experience in the donning of a harness and other safety practices involved in working from heights.

2. the act of assuming or adopting a particular attitude, responsibility, etc.:

   The birth of a child entails the donning of a new set of priorities for the parents.

Word History and Origins

Origin of donning¹

First recorded in 1830–40; don ²( def ) + -ing ¹( def )

Example Sentences

We can only hope prospects still choose to don interesting suits.

From Washington Post

The first is that I live in Manhattan, where there’s no open water available for swimming unless you want to don a wetsuit, hold your breath, and jump in the not-so-clean Hudson.

From Popular-Science

Like Zuma, Magashule is widely seen as corrupt — he was compared to a Mafia don in Gangster State, the best-seller about his leadership of the Free State province, from 2009 to 2018.

From Ozy

Eventually, I donned a hat, completely buried my head in the sleeping bag and caught a few winks.

From Washington Post

Instead of wearing expensive clothes, she donned plain and ordinary dresses.

From Washington Post

Mailer would argue, for example, that timidity does more harm to the novelist than donning a mask of extreme self-confidence.

From The Daily Beast

On a “warm up session,” he can be seen donning a checkered shirt and baseball hat atop his bushy ponytail.

From The Daily Beast

See if you still feel comfortable walking around in a Robert Griffin III jersey while donning warpaint.

From The Daily Beast

Haghjoo went out too, donning tape over his mouth and a sign lauding free speech for Iran.

From The Daily Beast

Six dancers donning 1960s-style black-and-white houndstooth pantsuits march out onstage waving large American flags.

From The Daily Beast

He was cast down to think that he might have spared himself the trouble of donning his beautiful yellow doublet from Paris.

From Project Gutenberg

And after this she rose and insisted on donning her armor once more.

From Project Gutenberg

Critical eyes marked the unusual haste of the guest's hat-pinning and jacket-donning.

From Project Gutenberg

So Molly took off her cap and apron and, donning a shade hat, stepped joyfully out in the sunshine with her husband.

From Project Gutenberg

Hastily donning Bernardine's jacket and hat, the girl stole noiselessly from the room, closing the door softly after her.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dress
• put on
• wear