Synonyms

don't

American

[dohnt] / doʊnt /

verb

contraction of do not.
Nonstandard except in some dialects. contraction of does not.

noun

don'ts, customs, rules, or regulations that forbid something.

The boss has a long list of don'ts that you had better observe if you want a promotion.

don't British

/ dəʊnt /

contraction

do not

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of don't

First recorded in 1600–10

Compare meaning

How does dont compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

don't vs. doesn't

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.

"These conditions don't just coexist politely," Gaffey says.

From Science Daily

CEO Lynn Nicholls said: "People get into situations where cats breed, they then don't know what to do with them, they can't look after them all and when they move a lot of the time they do leave them behind."

From BBC

Reporters are not police informants, we don't as a rule pass on information.

From BBC

Thompson said: "We can't afford to lose them as fast as we are... I for one don't want to see them disappear."

From BBC

"I don't know if we would still be here if it wasn't for the man," she added.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023