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don
1[ don; Spanish, Italian dawn ]
noun
- (initial capital letter) Mr.; Sir: a Spanish title prefixed to a man's given name.
- (in Spanish-speaking countries) a lord or gentleman.
- (initial capital letter) an Italian title of address, especially for a priest.
- a person of great importance.
- (in the English universities) a head, fellow, or tutor of a college.
- (in the Mafia) a head of a family or syndicate.
Don
2[ don; Russian dawn ]
noun
- a river flowing generally S from Tula in the Russian Federation in Europe, to the Sea of Azov. About 1,200 miles (1,930 km) long.
- a river in NE Scotland, flowing E from Aberdeen county to the North Sea. 62 miles (100 km) long.
- a river in central England, flowing NE from S Yorkshire to the Humber estuary. 60 miles (97 km) long.
- a male given name, form of Donald.
don
3[ don ]
verb (used with object)
- to put on, as clothing or equipment:
He donned his best shirt and tie for the interview.
Donning goggles and fins, they dived off the raft one by one.
- to assume or adopt, as a particular attitude, responsibility, etc.:
The actress is all set to don a new role as first-time director of her own film.
Don
4[ dawn ]
noun
- a goddess, the mother of Gwydion and Arianrod: corresponds to the Irish Danu.
don
5[ dohn ]
conjunction
- (in prescriptions) donec.
Don
1/ dɒn /
noun
- a river rising in W Russia, southeast of Tula and flowing generally south, to the Sea of Azov: linked by canal to the River Volga. Length: 1870 km (1162 miles)
- a river in NE Scotland, rising in the Cairngorm Mountains and flowing east to the North Sea. Length: 100 km (62 miles)
- a river in N central England, rising in S Yorkshire and flowing northeast to the Humber. Length: about 96 km (60 miles)
don
2/ dɒn /
noun
- a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, esp at Oxford or Cambridge
- the head of a student dormitory at certain Canadian universities and colleges
- a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
- (in the Mafia) the head of a family
Don
3/ don; dɒn /
noun
- a Spanish title equivalent to Mr : placed before a name to indicate respect
don
4/ dɒn /
verb
- tr to put on (clothing)
Word History and Origins
Origin of don1
Origin of don3
Word History and Origins
Origin of don1
Origin of don2
Origin of don3
Example Sentences
According to local coverage, the majority of participants donning their best Chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto looks were white men, "but some women and people of different ethnicities got in on the fun."
That includes after the game donning a pair of rose-tinted sunglasses that block blue light.
Contestants – including a toddler – donned chef’s aprons and white t-shirts in the style of White’s character Carmen Berzatto from the hit TV series The Bear.
She describes their outfits as looking like "19th century chimney sweeps", donning black shorts or trousers, a white top, braces, and a flat cap.
“And I don‘t want to have to see us go backwards to remind ourselves that vaccines work.
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More About Don
What is a basic definition of don?
Don means to put on or dress in clothing. The word Don is a title for men in Spanish and don is a term for the head of a mafia family. Don has a few other senses as a noun.
When used as a verb, don means to put on clothing. When you don a fancy hat, you place it on your head. Sometimes don is used to indicate that you’re putting on fancy clothes.
- Real-life examples: People don formal clothes to attend weddings. The media is often obsessed with the designer clothing that celebrities have donned for an awards show. It is a good idea to don a helmet when riding a bike.
- Used in a sentence: I don my long winter coat whenever it snows.
In Spanish, the title Don is used like Mr. in English to show respect to a man. Don is used before a man’s first name.
- Real-life example: The fictional Don Juan was a legendary womanizer. The fictional Don Quixote is remembered for battling with windmills.
- Used in a sentence: While in Spain, I met with my good friends Don Emilio and Don Diego.
The word don is also used to refer to the head of a mafia family or syndicate. This sense of don is also sometimes used as a title.
- Real-life examples: Actor Marlon Brando played Vito Corleone, the don of the fictional Corleone family, in the film The Godfather. Carlo Gambino was the don of New York City’s Gambino crime family.
- Used in a sentence: The police arrested several low-ranking members of the crime family but could never get evidence against the don.
Where does don come from?
The first records of the verb don come from around 1560. It is a contraction of the common verb do and the preposition on. The first records of the noun form of don come from around 1515. It ultimately comes from the Latin dominus, meaning “God” or “the Lord.”
Did you know ... ?
How is don used in real life?
Don is most often used to mean to put or to wear clothing.
Donning long underwear unironically is a hallmark of my adulthood.
— Alan Bennett Ilagan (@alanilagan) December 7, 2020
Women’s soccer player Sarah Fuller will don a football uniform Saturday for Vanderbilt and is poised to become the first woman to play in a Power 5 game when the Commodores visit Missouri.
— News 19 (@whnt) November 28, 2020
For the first time since last winter, I have donned slippers.
— Ben Rector (@benrector) October 20, 2014
Try using don!
Is don used correctly in the following sentence?
After coming in from the rain, I donned my jacket and hung it in the closet.
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