Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense dons, present participle donning, past tense, past participle donned
1. verb
If you don clothing, you put it on.
[written]
The crowd threw petrol bombs at the police, who responded by donning riot gear. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: put on, get into, dress in, pull on More Synonyms of don
2. countable noun
A don is a lecturer at Oxford or Cambridge University in England.
Lecturers from any university are sometimes referred to as dons.
[British]
More Synonyms of don
don in British English1
(dɒn)
verbWord forms: dons, donning or donned
(transitive)
to put on (clothing)
Word origin
C14: from do1 + on; compare doff
don in British English2
(dɒn)
noun
1. British
a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, esp at Oxford or Cambridge
2.
the head of a student dormitory at certain Canadian universities and colleges
3.
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
4.
(in the Mafia) the head of a family
Word origin
C17: ultimately from Latin dominus lord
Don in British English1
(dɒn, Spanish don)
noun
a Spanish title equivalent to Mr: placed before a name to indicate respect
Word origin
C16: via Spanish, from Latin dominus lord; see don2
Don in British English2
(dɒn)
noun
1.
a river rising in W Russia, southeast of Tula and flowing generally south, to the Sea of Azov: linked by canal to the River Volga. Length: 1870 km (1162 miles)
2.
a river in NE Scotland, rising in the Cairngorm Mountains and flowing east to the North Sea. Length: 100 km (62 miles)
3.
a river in N central England, rising in S Yorkshire and flowing northeast to the Humber. Length: about 96 km (60 miles)
Don in American English1
(dɑn)
noun
1.
Sir; Mr.: a Spanish title of respect, used with the given name: abbrev. D
Don Pedro
2. [d-]
a Spanish nobleman or gentleman
Don in American English2
(dɑn; Russian dɔn)
river in SC European Russia, flowing southward into the Sea of Azov: c. 1,200 mi (1,931 km)
Word origin
Russ: see Danube
don in American English1
(dɑn)
verb transitiveWord forms: donned or ˈdonning
to put on (a garment, etc.); dress in (a certain color or material)
Word origin
contr. of do on
don in American English2
(dɑn)
noun
1.
a distinguished man
2. British
a head, tutor, or fellow of a college or university, esp. at Oxford or Cambridge
3.
an important Mafia leader
Word origin
Sp < L domnus, contr. < dominus, master: see dominate
Examples of 'don' in a sentence
don
He also donned a ginger wig for the fancy dress bar crawl.
The Sun (2016)
Perhaps she could don a suit and fix a sport dying from self-inflicted cuts?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
To redeem himself, he does agree to don a Santa suit and wear a little red bow on his head without looking too embarrassed.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Both donned blonde wigs as they lost all their hair.
The Sun (2008)
That was until we donned our scuba gear and plunged in.
The Sun (2012)
The pair don wigs and dresses as different members of a fictional clan.
The Sun (2011)
We bought the house from the wife of a don at the university.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Perhaps we should all don identical boiler suits.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The amount could be doubled for those who are or have been politicians or university dons.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Perhaps hospital staff should don space suits.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He also donned a crocodile suit to crawl up and get close enough to touch one.
The Sun (2008)
The youngster is seen bawling his eyes out after his mother dons a surgical mask to take his temperature.
The Sun (2014)
Would you don the powdered wig, the tweed dress and the pearls?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He was bald, which often meant he was required to don outlandish wigs.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
And a pathologist is expected to don a protective mask before carrying out a post-mortem.
The Sun (2010)
Most of the defectors have since donned civilian dress and returned to their homes, the masked separatist said.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But you can also swim with turtles, or don scuba gear and explore the corals and colourful fish of the deep.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Legend has it that to avoid detection by the masses in Mumbai he donned wigs and sunglasses before daring to venture out.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
GB team members donned white jackets with blue bottoms in red, white and blue tones for the glitzy opening.
The Sun (2008)
There was a familiarity between dons and students, he claims, that has now vanished.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The 42-year-old website boss donned a blond mullet wig and acted as a 1980s rocker to deliver a cheeky political message.
The Sun (2013)
Word lists with
don
Celtic
All related terms of 'don'
don't
Don't is the usual spoken form of 'do not'.
Don Juan
If you describe a man as a Don Juan , you mean he has had sex with many women.
Don Cossack
a member of the eastern branch of the Cossacks , living along the Don
Don Quixote
an impractical idealist
don't know
a person who has not reached a definite opinion on a subject, esp as a response to a questionnaire
don't knows
people who have not reached a definite opinion on a subject, esp as a response to a questionnaire
don't ask me
You reply ' don't ask me ' when you do not know the answer to a question , usually when you are annoyed or surprised that you have been asked.
I don't mind
If you are offered something or offered a choice and you say ' I don't mind ', you are saying politely that you will be happy with any of the things offered.
don't mention it
People sometimes say ' don't mention it ' as a polite reply to someone who has just thanked them for doing something.
don't mind me
You say ' Don't mind me ' to apologize for your presence when you think that it might embarrass someone, and to tell them to carry on with what they were doing or about to do.
don't you dare
If you say to someone ' don't you dare ' do something, you are telling them not to do it and letting them know that you are angry .
do's and don'ts
If someone tells you the dos and don'ts of a particular situation , they advise you what you should and should not do in that situation.
I don't suppose
You can say ' I don't suppose ' as a way of introducing a polite request .
I don't think
a phrase added to an ironical statement
you don't know
You can say ' You don't know ' in order to emphasize how strongly you feel about the remark you are going to make.
you don't say
You can use ' You don't say ' to express surprise at what someone has told you. People often use this expression to indicate that in fact they are not surprised.
don't rub it in
said to mean that someone should not draw attention to something that is unpleasant or embarrassing for you
don't even go there
said to mean that a topic is considered to be too unpleasant or controversial to be mentioned
don't get me wrong
You say ' Don't get me wrong ' when you want to make sure that someone does not get an incorrect idea about what you are doing or saying , or about why you are doing or saying it.
don the baggy green
to represent Australia at Test cricket
don't make me laugh
Some people reply to other people's comments or opinions by saying ' Don't make me laugh ' when they disagree with them and think they are foolish or inaccurate .
if you don't mind
People use the expression if you don't mind when they are rejecting an offer or saying that they do not want to do something, especially when they are annoyed .
don't misunderstand me
You can say don't misunderstand me when you want to correct a wrong impression that you think someone may have got about what you are saying .
I don't know how/what
You use I don't know in expressions which indicate criticism of someone's behaviour . For example , if you say that you do not know how someone can do something, you mean that you cannot understand or accept them doing it.
Rostov
a port in S Russia , on the River Don 48 km (30 miles) from the Sea of Azov : industrial centre . Pop: 1 081 000 (2005 est)
don't count your chickens
said to mean that you should not make plans for the future because you do not know for certain how a particular situation will develop
don't get mad, get even
said to mean that, if someone harms you, you should not waste your energy on being angry , but you should concentrate on harming them in return
don't mind him/her etc
You use don't mind in expressions such as don't mind her or don't mind them to apologize for someone else's behaviour when you think it might have offended the person you are speaking to.
I don't know (about that)
You can use I don't know to indicate that you do not completely agree with something or do not really think that it is true .
I don't know about you
You can say ' I don't know about you ' to indicate that you are going to give your own opinion about something and you want to find out if someone else feels the same.
I don't mind if I do
You can say ' I don't mind if I do ' as a way of accepting something that someone has offered you, especially food or drink.
I don't mind telling you
You can say ' I don't mind telling you ' to emphasize the statement you are making.
don't give up the day job
If someone tells you not to give up the day job , they are saying that they think you should continue doing what you are good at, rather than trying something new which they think you will fail at.
the dos and don'ts of something
the things that you should and should not do in a particular situation
two wrongs don't make a right
If someone says ' Two wrongs don't make a right ', they mean that you should not do harm to a person who has done harm to you, even if you think that person deserves it.
I don't want to/without wanting to
People sometimes say ' I don't want to be rude ', for example, or ' without wanting to be rude' as a way of apologizing or warning you when they are going to say something which might upset , annoy , or worry you.
if it ain't broke, don't fix it
said to mean that things should only be changed if they are wrong . The word `ain't' is a form of `isn't' which is used in informal or non-standard English.
don't bet on sth/I wouldn't bet on sth
If you say don't bet on something or I wouldn't bet on something, you mean that you do not think that something is true or will happen .
don't look a gift horse in the mouth
used to tell someone that they should not find fault with a free gift or chance benefit
(verb)
Definition
to put on (clothing)
The police officers donned their hi-viz jackets.
Synonyms
put on
get into
dress in
pull on
change into
get dressed in
clothe yourself in
slip on or into
(noun)
Definition
a member of the teaching staff at a university or college
The train was full of university dons.
Synonyms
lecturer
a lecturer in Law at Southampton University
professor
a professor of economics at Chittagong University
fellow
academic
He is an academic who believes in winning through argument.
acca (Australian, slang)
scholar
The library attracts thousands of scholars and researchers.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of academic
Definition
a member of the teaching or research staff of a college or university
He is an academic who believes in winning through argument.
Synonyms
scholar,
intellectual,
don,
student,
master,
professor,
fellow,
pupil,
lecturer,
tutor,
scholastic,
bookworm,
man or woman of letters,
egghead (informal),
savant,
academician,
acca (Australian, slang),
bluestocking (derogatory),
schoolman (US, rare, old-fashioned)
in the sense of professor
Definition
the highest rank of teacher in a university
a professor of economics at Chittagong University
Synonyms
don (British),
fellow (British),
prof (informal),
head of faculty
in the sense of scholar
Definition
a person who studies an academic subject
The library attracts thousands of scholars and researchers.