don

1
[ don; Spanish, Italian dawn ]
See synonyms for don on Thesaurus.com
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.

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

  2. a person of great importance.

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

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

Origin of don

1
First recorded in 1515–25; from Italian, Spanish, from Latin dominus “lord, master”

Words Nearby don

Other definitions for don (2 of 5)

don2
[ don ]

verb (used with object),donned, don·ning.
  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.

Origin of don

2
First recorded in 1560–70; contraction of do1 + on; cf. doff

Other definitions for don (3 of 5)

don3
[ dohn ]

conjunction
  1. (in prescriptions) donec.

Origin of don

3
By shortening of Latin donec

Other definitions for Don (4 of 5)

Don1
[ don; for 1 also Russian dawn ]

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.

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

  2. a male given name, form of Donald.

Other definitions for Don (5 of 5)

Don2
[ dawn ]

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

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

How to use don in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for don (1 of 4)

don1

/ (dɒn) /


verbdons, donning or donned
  1. (tr) to put on (clothing)

Origin of don

1
C14: from do 1 + on; compare doff

British Dictionary definitions for don (2 of 4)

don2

/ (dɒn) /


noun
  1. British 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

  1. a Spanish gentleman or nobleman

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

Origin of don

2
C17: ultimately from Latin dominus lord

British Dictionary definitions for Don (3 of 4)

Don1

/ (dɒn, Spanish don) /


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

Origin of Don

3
C16: via Spanish, from Latin dominus lord; see don ²

British Dictionary definitions for Don (4 of 4)

Don2

/ (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)

  1. 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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