doughnut
Americannoun
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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.
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anything shaped like a thick ring; an annular object; toroid.
noun
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a small cake of sweetened dough, often ring-shaped or spherical with a jam or cream filling, cooked in hot fat
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anything shaped like a ring, such as the reaction vessel of a thermonuclear reactor
verb
Etymology
Origin of doughnut
Explanation
A doughnut is a delicious, deep-fried breakfast treat. Most doughnuts are round and have a hole in the center. Some have frosting and sprinkles, too. You can also call a doughnut a donut, a slightly more common way to spell it in North America. There are different types of doughnuts, but they're all made of sweet dough that's usually fried (but sometimes baked). Many bakeries that specialize in doughnuts also sell doughnut holes, small enough to pop in your mouth. The very earliest doughnuts were probably the olykoek, or "oil cakes" brought to New York by 19th century Dutch settlers.
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.
Pratt fans dropped off ballots, picked up lawn signs and stopped to pick up coffee drinks from the Hustle N Dough doughnut truck parked out front.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
After being taken private in 2020, coffee and doughnut chain Dunkin’ is set to return to the public market — and it’s bringing a few friends.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
"I didn't really know what a cake or a doughnut or a brownie was until I started having after-school parties in California," she says.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
No matter how much you reshape a ball, you cannot turn it into a doughnut without cutting or tearing it.
From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026
“Don’t these pictures make you want a doughnut? What kind do you think they are, Natalie? Maple bacon? That’s my favorite.”
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
