dont

don't

(doʊnt)

v.

1. contraction of do not.

2. Nonstandard (except in some dialects). contraction of does not.

n.

3. don'ts, a list of practices to be avoided. Compare do ¹ (def. 43).

usage: As a contraction for does not, don't first appeared in writing in the latter half of the 17th century and remained standard in both speech and writing through the 18th. During the 19th century, under pressure from those who preferred doesn't in that use, don'tgradually became less frequent in writing but remained common in speech. Widely considered nonstandard, it still occurs in the informal speech and the personal writing of many Americans, including the well educated, esp. in the Midland and Southern dialects.

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