donned; donning
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
Edward Sapir1
: 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
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
4
archaic
: a person of consequence : grandee
the great dons of wit—John Dryden
John Dryden
director of nursing
Examples of don in a Sentence
Verb
He donned his gloves and hat.
she donned her best gown for the ball
Recent Examples on the Web
Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
The singer donned a short wig as well as Prince’s iconic purple coat and boots from the movie while holding a matching guitar.
—Staff Author, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2024
For example, while a typical Lego movie character might have a couple outfits, Pharrell’s dons over 80, including a Louis Vuitton damoflage suit.
—Ralphie Aversa, USA TODAY, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for don 
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Verb
In an October 23, 2020 Instagram post, Shah donned a structured corset-dress apparently made of Joe Biden signs.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
The singer donned a short wig as well as Prince’s iconic purple coat and boots from the movie while holding a matching guitar.
—Staff Author, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
Meanwhile, in their dusty, violent old neighborhood outside of Naples, Lila runs a tech business and continues to go out of her way to humiliate its former dons, the Solaras.
—Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2024
For example, while a typical Lego movie character might have a couple outfits, Pharrell’s dons over 80, including a Louis Vuitton damoflage suit.
—Ralphie Aversa, USA TODAY, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for don
Dictionary Entries Near don
Cite this Entry
“Don.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/don. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
don
2 of 2 noun1
: a Spanish nobleman or gentleman
—used as a title
2
: a teacher in a college or university
Geographical Definition
Don
geographical name
river 1224 miles (1969 kilometers) long in Russia in Europe flowing southeast and then southwest into the Sea of Azov
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