don't

American

[dohnt] / doʊnt /

verb

contraction of do not.
Nonstandard except in some dialects. contraction of does not.

noun

don'ts, customs, rules, or regulations that forbid something.

The boss has a long list of don'ts that you had better observe if you want a promotion.

don't British

/ dəʊnt /

contraction

do not

"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

Etymology

Origin of don't

First recorded in 1600–10

Compare meaning

How does dont compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

don't vs. doesn't

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

don't

"I don't even know how to put it into words," she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

"Theories don't predict one exact answer," Zhang added.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

“And I don’t even get a discount,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

“Some just flat out don’t care,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Doctors in 1848 don't use the word infection, but they know its symptoms well.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023