doughnut city

noun

A city whose centre has deteriorated or declined as a result of rapid growth of the surrounding suburbs.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

noundoughnut city (plural doughnut cities)

plural doughnut cities · alternative donut city

  1. A city whose centre has deteriorated or declined as a result of rapid growth of the surrounding suburbs.

Origin

In reference to the shape of the snack food, a ring with a central hole.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

doughnut city. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/doughnut%20city

MLA

“doughnut city.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/doughnut%20city. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “doughnut city,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/doughnut%20city.

Source: doughnut city on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.