don
verb
\ ˈdän
\
\
donned;
donning
Definition of don
(Entry 1 of 4)
1
: to put on (an article of clothing)
donned his hat and gloves
2
: to wrap oneself in : take on sense 3a
the donning of new and more tyrannous moralities— Edward Sapir
don
nounDefinition of don (Entry 2 of 4)
1
: a head (see head entry 1 sense 6a), tutor, or fellow (see fellow sense 5) in a college of Oxford or Cambridge University
she didn't want to be a don's wife and live in Oxford forever— Virginia Woolf
broadly
: a college or university professor
2
[ Italian, title of respect, from donno, literally, lord, from Latin dominus ]
: a powerful Mafia leader
3
: a Spanish nobleman or gentleman
—used as a title prefixed to the Christian name
DON
abbreviationDefinition of DON (Entry 3 of 4)
director of nursing
Don
geographical name
\ ˈdän
\
\
Definition of Don (Entry 4 of 4)
river 1224 miles (1969 kilometers) long in Russia in Europe flowing southeast and then southwest into the Sea of Azov
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Synonyms & Antonyms for don
Synonyms: Verb
put on, slip (on or into), throw (on)
Antonyms: Verb
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Examples of don in a Sentence
Verb
He donned his gloves and hat. she donned her best gown for the ballRecent Examples on the Web: Verb
Wrapping himself in his big winter overcoat and donning his homburg hat, the Munich Post editor walked to the streetcar station. — Washington Post, "AP BOOK EXCERPT: The ‘Enemy of the People’," 1 Sep. 2019 The unprecedented business formula The business, which dons Paul’s nickname, has developed a relationship with vendors over the decades that’s better than most, which allows it to get parts and equipment at reasonable prices, Almhjell said. — Georgann Yara, azcentral, "Keeping customers safe has driven Whitey’s Auto Repair for more than 50 years," 1 Sep. 2019 Some philanthropic swans feign frustration at having to suit up twice — within just 36 hours — donning unique ensembles of sartorial finery. — Catherine Bigelow, SFChronicle.com, "Fetes and art grants set the stage for upcoming SF Ballet and SF Opera galas," 27 Aug. 2019 Then Swift slowed down the tempo, donned a shimmering purple jacket, grabbed a guitar that read ‘Lover’ and launched into a gorgeous, faithful rendition of her new album’s title track. — Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, "Taylor Swift Opens 2019 MTV VMAs With Triumphant 'You Need To Calm Down,' 'Lover' Performance: Watch," 26 Aug. 2019 Host, Niecy Nash donned an amazing afro, Issa Rae mesmerized us with her flawless skin, and Erykah Badu made us do a double-take. — Jennifer Ford, Essence, "The Best Beauty Looks From Black Girls Rock 2019," 26 Aug. 2019 Every team this year donned full white or black uniforms. — Sallee Ann Ruibal, Cincinnati.com, "Reds players or *NSYNC boy band members? Might sound crazy but it ain't no lie," 25 Aug. 2019 The newborn dressed as Dorothy donned a blue gingham outfit, complete with red ruby slippers. — Fox News, "Pittsburgh hospital newborns dressed up as 'Wizard of Oz' characters," 23 Aug. 2019 Junior varsity players wore blue practice jerseys and varsity players donned black ones as each group ran through mock plays and other exercises. — Megan Woodward, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "High School Sports: Spirits, expectations high as Carroll athletes begin fall practice," 15 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The apex predators have all but disappeared from False Bay, South Africa, where tourists often board boats to watch them hunt around Seal Island and the more daring don flippers and go shark diving. — Annaliese Griffin, Quartzy, "Are great white sharks messing with us?," 1 Sep. 2019 In one instance, a water buffalo, Christmas lights dangling from a gash in its belly, dons S & M gear. — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, "Taxidermy Is a Metaphor for Our Time," 21 Aug. 2019 An original don of jungle way before the genre had a name, Ken has been a foundational artist for drum ‘n’ bass. — Lily Moayeri, Billboard, "Family Business: Five Famous DJs Whose Children Followed In Their Footsteps," 2 Aug. 2019 Around that time, Johnson became strongly associated with pedaling delightfully around London on a bicycle like an eccentric Oxbridge don. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "Who Is Boris Johnson?," 19 July 2019 In the images, Barbie dons bold red platform boots, a red-and-blue-striped space suit, and a gold disc on her forehead. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Barbie gets dolled up as David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust," 12 July 2019 Duffy, an emeritus Cambridge don, has realized my fears, engaging in what in journalism is known as bigfooting. — Eamon Duffy, The New York Review of Books, "Feasting on Erasmus," 9 May 2019 Humans signal subordination by bowing, groveling, laughing at the boss’s jokes, kissing the don’s ring, saluting and so on. — Frans De Waal, Discover Magazine, "Cheerful Chimps: Are Animals Really Happy When They Smile?," 31 May 2019 This Boba Fett dons sculpted Mandalorian armor, a rangefinder, flight suit and vest with body plate armor, knee pads, and wrist gauntlets. — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Star Wars Toys for Any Aspiring Jedi," 27 Mar. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'don.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for don
don
verb
English Language Learners Definition of don
(Entry 1 of 2)
formal + old-fashioned
: to put on (a piece of clothing)
don
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of don (Entry 2 of 2)
British
: a teacher in a college or university
especially
: a teacher at Oxford or Cambridge University
informal
: a powerful Mafia leader
See the full definition for don in the English Language Learners Dictionary