don

¹ American  

[don, dawn] / dɒn, dɔn /

noun

1. (initial capital letter)  Mr.; Sir: a Spanish title prefixed to a man's given name.

2. (in Spanish-speaking countries) a lord or gentleman.

3. (initial capital letter)  an Italian title of address, especially for a priest.

4. a person of great importance.

5. (in the English universities) a head, fellow, or tutor of a college.

6. (in the Mafia) a head of a family or syndicate.

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Don ² American  

[don, dawn] / dɒn, dɔn /

noun

1. 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.

2. a river in NE Scotland, flowing E from Aberdeen county to the North Sea. 62 miles (100 km) long.

3. a river in central England, flowing NE from S Yorkshire to the Humber estuary. 60 miles (97 km) long.

4. a male given name, form of Donald.

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don ³ American  

[don] / dɒn /

verb (used with object)

donned, donning

1. 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.

2. 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.

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Don ⁴ American  

[dawn] / dɔn /

noun

Welsh Mythology.

1. a goddess, the mother of Gwydion and Arianrod: corresponds to the Irish Danu.

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don ⁵ American  

[dohn] / doʊn /

conjunction

1. (in prescriptions) donec.

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don ¹ British  

/ dɒn /

noun

1. a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, esp at Oxford or Cambridge

2. the head of a student dormitory at certain Canadian universities and colleges

3. a Spanish gentleman or nobleman

4. (in the Mafia) the head of a family

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Don ² British  

/ dɒn /

noun

1. 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)

2. a river in NE Scotland, rising in the Cairngorm Mountains and flowing east to the North Sea. Length: 100 km (62 miles)

3. a river in N central England, rising in S Yorkshire and flowing northeast to the Humber. Length: about 96 km (60 miles)

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Don ³ British  

/ don, dɒn /

noun

1. a Spanish title equivalent to Mr : placed before a name to indicate respect

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don ⁴ British  

/ dɒn /

verb

1. (tr) to put on (clothing)

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of don¹

First recorded in 1515–25; from Italian, Spanish, from Latin dominus “lord, master”

Origin of don³

First recorded in 1560–70; contraction of do ¹ + on; doff

Origin of don⁵

By shortening of Latin donec ( def. )

Example Sentences

Nearly 30 inmates, selected for good behavior, donned tuxedos with pink boutonnieres and waited as daughters, some dressed in formal gowns, were led into the prison’s Bible college transformed into a makeshift dance hall.

From Salon

Bones transformed classical singer Charlotte Church into her drag sister, named Blood, and the pair donned co-ordinated cream silk and lace outfits as part of a vampire wedding fantasy.

From BBC

Some residents donned rain ponchos and motorbike helmets to protect themselves from the rain as they traversed flooded streets.

From Barron's

In-person and remote workers can all don a headset and find themselves together in a simulated office.

From The Wall Street Journal

Many followers don furry ushanka hats, similar to what he wore throughout the rollout of his 2018 release, “Call Me if You Get Lost.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dress
• put on
• wear