doughnut

or do·nut

[ doh-nuht, -nuht ]

noun

1. a small cake of sweetened or, sometimes, unsweetened dough fried in deep fat, typically shaped like a ring or, when prepared with a filling, a ball.
2. anything shaped like a thick ring; an annular object; toroid.

doughnut

/ ˈdəʊnʌt /

noun

1. a small cake of sweetened dough, often ring-shaped or spherical with a jam or cream filling, cooked in hot fat
2. anything shaped like a ring, such as the reaction vessel of a thermonuclear reactor

verb

1. informal.
   tr (of Members of Parliament) to surround (a speaker) during the televising of Parliament to give the impression that the chamber is crowded or the speaker is well supported

Word History and Origins

Origin of doughnut¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; dough + nut

Example Sentences

“Let’s Fly” exhibition, are striped, spotted, shaped like doughnuts and light up in the night sky like condensed, dirigible versions of Ugo Rondinone’s “Seven Magic Mountains” sculpture.

From Los Angeles Times

Videos showed people stealing from Nike’s Jumpman L.A. flagship store on Broadway and cars doing doughnuts at intersections to the roars of bystanders.

From Los Angeles Times

So if you saw someone eating a doughnut but there were none around, you might eat chips or even drink alcohol.

From Salon

I think L.A. is really good at two things that other places don’t do as well: One is doughnuts and the other is hamburgers.

From Los Angeles Times

Later, at the Missouri Primate Foundation, he lived in a cage alongside other chimps but interacted more with the humans who fed him food like Powerade, french fries and doughnuts.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bun
• pastry