dough

noun

ˈdō

Synonyms of dough

: a mixture that consists essentially of flour or meal and a liquid (such as milk or water) and is stiff enough to knead or roll

: something resembling dough especially in consistency

: money

doesn't have much dough

military : doughboy

doughlike

ˈdō-ˌlīk

adjective

Examples of dough in a Sentence

I don't have much dough. didn't have to spend a lot of dough for a new stereo

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Trim excess dough and pinch ends of pastry around sausage to enclose. — Kwame Onwuachi, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 Lightly flour your work surface, place a large piece of parchment paper down, lightly flour again, place dough. — ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026 Cover loosely with cloths and let rise again; when dough has risen, place pans in preheated 350-degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until tops of loaves are light brown. — Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 In 2023, Diamond Crystal introduced baking salt, a fine salt that dissolves quicker, melting into dough and batters. — Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dough

Word History

Etymology

Middle English doh, dogh, dowe, going back to Old English dāg, going back to Germanic *daiga- (whence Middle Dutch deech "dough," Old High German teig, Old Norse deig, deigr, Gothic daigs), ablaut derivative from the base of *digan-, *dīgan- "to knead, shape" (whence Gothic digan, gadigan "to knead, form from clay"), going back to Indo-European *d^hei̯ǵ^h- "knead, shape" — more at feign

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of dough was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Browse Nearby Words

doug

dough

dough-baked

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dough. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

dough

noun

ˈdō

: a soft mass of moistened flour or meal thick enough to knead or roll

: something resembling dough especially in consistency

: money sense 1a

doughy

ˈdō-ē

adjective

dough

noun

Synonyms of dough

Examples of dough in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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dough

noun

Synonyms of dough

Examples of dough in a Sentence

Word History

Phrases Containing dough

Rhymes for dough

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on dough

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