doughnut

Or do·nut

[doh-nuht, -nuht]

noun

1. a small cake of sweetened or, sometimes, unsweetened dough fried in deep fat, typically shaped like a ring or, when prepared with a filling, a ball.

2. anything shaped like a thick ring; an annular object; toroid.

doughnut

/ ˈdəʊnʌt /

noun

1. a small cake of sweetened dough, often ring-shaped or spherical with a jam or cream filling, cooked in hot fat

2. anything shaped like a ring, such as the reaction vessel of a thermonuclear reactor

verb

1. informal,  (tr) (of Members of Parliament) to surround (a speaker) during the televising of Parliament to give the impression that the chamber is crowded or the speaker is well supported

Word History and Origins

Origin of doughnut¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; dough + nut

Example Sentences

The guy who runs my doughnut shop who hasn’t taken a day off in 20 years, literally I was talking to him about this.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

One person’s “go down the road a piece and bear left at the doughnut shop” is another’s “proceed one-half mile and take the eastbound ramp.”

Read more on Literature

The torus, or suppression pool, sits like a giant hollow doughnut below the reactor vessel.

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Then we bobbed for apples and had cider and doughnuts.

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The 88-year-old doughnut brand cut its tally of global points of access, or locations where its doughnuts are sold worldwide, by more than 6% in the third quarter.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bun 
• pastry