doughnut

IPA/ˈdəʊnʌt/
KK[dˈonˌʌt]IPA/ˈdəʊnʌt/

doughnut — noun

  • doughnutsingular
  • doughnutsplural

1. A small, sweet cake made from fried dough, often ring-shaped and sometimes stuff

1.nounA1
Definition

A small, sweet cake made from fried dough, often ring-shaped and sometimes stuffed with jam, custard, or cream.

Example

Esme bought a box of glazed doughnuts from the new bakery in town.

common collocation: glazed doughnuts

The café near the station serves warm doughnuts with chocolate sauce.

collocation: warm doughnuts with [topping]

Common collocations
  • jam doughnut
  • glazed doughnut
  • doughnut shop
  • doughnut hole
  • chocolate doughnut
Synonyms
  • donut

    informal spelling variant, very common in American English signage and menus

Grammar Patterns

adjective + doughnut

doughnut + with [filling]

jam/glazed/chocolate doughnut

Common Mistakes

I ate a donut with my coffee.
I ate a doughnut with my coffee.
'doughnut' is the original spelling; 'donut' is an informal shortened variant used mainly in American English.

2. A soft, ring-shaped cushion that you wrap your hair around to create a round, ra

2.nounB2
Definition

A soft, ring-shaped cushion that you wrap your hair around to create a round, raised bun hairstyle.

Example

Antonia used a hair doughnut to make her bun look bigger and neater.

collocation: hair doughnut

You can buy a doughnut for your hair at most beauty supply stores.

prepositional phrase: doughnut for [body part]

Common collocations
  • hair doughnut
  • doughnut bun
  • fabric doughnut
Synonyms
  • bun shaper

    alternative name focusing on the function rather than the shape

  • hair donut

    common informal spelling variant of the same product

Grammar Patterns

hair doughnut

doughnut + bun

use a doughnut for [hairstyle]

Usage Note

The hair doughnut is a fabric cushion, not an actual food item. It is often called a 'bun shaper' or 'bun maker' in shops.

3. A driving trick in which a car spins in a tight circle, leaving a ring-shaped sk

3.nounB2
Definition

A driving trick in which a car spins in a tight circle, leaving a ring-shaped skid mark on the road or ground.

Example

The driver lost control, doing a doughnut in the middle of the empty parking lot.

common verb collocation: do a doughnut

Omar watched a video of a rally driver pulling perfect doughnuts on a dirt track.

verb collocation: pull a doughnut

Common collocations
  • do a doughnut
  • pull a doughnut
Synonyms
  • donut

    same spelling variant as the food; equally common in informal driving contexts

  • 360-degree skid

    more technical and descriptive; less idiomatic

Grammar Patterns

do a doughnut

pull a doughnut

Usage Note

Almost always used with the verbs 'do' or 'pull'. In British English, this maneuver is more commonly called 'doing a doughnut' than any alternative name.

4. Any object or shape that is round with a hole through the middle, similar in for

4.nounC1
Definition

Any object or shape that is round with a hole through the middle, similar in form to a ring or a torus.

Example

In geometry class, the students learned that a torus is a doughnut-shaped surface.

compound adjective: doughnut-shaped

The particle accelerator has a massive doughnut-shaped tunnel that stretches for miles underground.

Common collocations
  • doughnut-shaped
  • doughnut of gas
  • doughnut of concrete
Synonyms
  • torus

    the precise mathematical term for a doughnut shape in geometry and topology

  • ring

    simpler and more general, but does not emphasise the full three-dimensional form

Grammar Patterns

doughnut-shaped

doughnut of [material]

Usage Note

In everyday speech, this sense is rare. Most people use 'doughnut' to mean the food (sense 1). The technical meaning appears mainly in mathematics, physics, and engineering writing.

Word family

  • doughnut-shaped
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Doughnut' and 'donut' refer to exactly the same food item — a sweet fried cake. 'Doughnut' is the original spelling (from 'dough' + 'nut', where 'nut' historically meant a small round cake) and remains standard in formal writing, dictionaries, and British English. 'Donut' is a shortened, phonetic spelling that became popular in American signage and branding in the 20th century, especially through chains like Dunkin' Donuts. In everyday American conversation, 'donut' is very common, while British speakers almost always say 'doughnut'. Learners should use 'doughnut' in academic or formal writing and are free to use either in casual contexts, though 'donut' may look too casual in some settings. Example: 'She bought a dozen doughnuts for the office party.' (neutral) vs. 'I grabbed a donut from the shop on the corner.' (casual).

doughnut ↗donut ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • doughnut-shaped

Prepositions

  • with (a doughnut with jam)
  • of (a doughnut of concrete)

Etymology

EnglishAmerican English

Combines 'dough' (the unbaked bread mixture) with 'nut', an old English cooking term for a small round cake or biscuit — not related to the tree nut. The word first appeared in American cookbooks around 1800, describing small fried balls of dough. The ring shape with a hole became standard later in the 19th century. The simplified spelling 'donut' appeared in the late 1800s and spread through commercial use.