donkey

[ dong-kee, dawng-, duhng- ]
See synonyms for donkey on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural don·keys.
  1. the domestic ass, Equus asinus.

  2. (since 1874) a representation of this animal as the emblem of the U.S. Democratic Party.

  1. a stupid, silly, or obstinate person.

  2. a woodworking apparatus consisting of a clamping frame and saw, used for cutting marquetry veneers.

adjective
  1. Machinery. auxiliary: donkey engine; donkey pump; donkey boiler.

Origin of donkey

1
First recorded in 1775–85; of uncertain origin; perhaps alteration of Dunkey, diminutive name or pet form of Duncan, man's name; perhaps a derivative of dun “dull, grayish brown”

Words Nearby donkey

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use donkey in a sentence

  • His donkey stumbled—it was natural enough, seeing that the reins hung loose and his feet had somehow left the stirrups.

    The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
  • His donkey had gone lame, he abandoned it to the boys behind, he climbed in to drive with Lettice.

    The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
  • Ibrahim stopped his song to sigh, and struck his donkey lightly under the right ear, causing it to turn sharply to the left.

    Bella Donna | Robert Hichens
  • And now Ibrahim struck his donkey again, and they went on rapidly towards the Libyan mountains.

    Bella Donna | Robert Hichens
  • Could all these people read her mind and follow the track of her distastes and desires, even the dragomans and the donkey-boys?

    Bella Donna | Robert Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for donkey

donkey

/ (ˈdɒŋkɪ) /


noun
  1. Also called: ass a long-eared domesticated member of the horse family (Equidae), descended from the African wild ass (Equus asinus)

  2. a stupid or stubborn person

  1. British slang, derogatory a footballer known for his or her lack of skill: the players are a bunch of overpriced and overrated donkeys

  2. talk the hind leg(s) off a donkey to talk endlessly

Origin of donkey

1
C18: perhaps from dun dark + -key, as in monkey

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for donkey

donkey

A symbol (see also symbol) of the Democratic party, introduced in a series of political cartoons by Thomas Nast during the congressional elections of 1874. (Compare elephant.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.