Doff and don have been a pair from the start: both date to the 14th century, with doff arising as a Middle English contraction of the phrase “to do off” and don as a contraction of “to do on.”

doff your hat to someone/something (also doff your cap to someone/something) to show or express respect for someone or something:

Somehow he managed to compose himself sufficiently to doff his hat to her and to say most civilly, `My lady, how nice to see you.

1. To take off; remove: doff one's clothes. 2. To tip or remove (one's hat) in salutation. 3. To put aside; discard.

DOFF definition: to remove or take off, as clothing. See examples of doff used in a sentence.

Definition of doff verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Dec 19, 2025 · doff (plural doffs) (obsolete, rare) Followed by off: an act of putting off or turning away someone with an excuse, etc. quotations

doff (v.) "put or take off" an article of clothing, especially a hat or cap, late 14c., doffen, a contraction of do off, preserving the original sense of do as "put."

doff - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. All Free.

Doff is a contraction of "do (take) off," and don is short for "do (put) on." By 1755, these words were all but obsolete, but they came back into vogue thanks to Sir Walter Scott, author of works like Ivanhoe, …