donner, verb transitive
/ˈdɔnə(r)/
- Forms:
- Also donder.
- Origin:
- AfrikaansShow more Afrikaans, to thrash, strike with force.
colloquial, not in polite use
1. Often in the phrases to donner (someone) up or (less commonly) to donner (someone) op [probably influenced by both English beat up and Afrikaans opdonder]. To beat up, thrash, hit; moer verb sense 1; neuk sense 1.
1916 S. Black in S. Gray Three Plays (1984) 237Van K: I come from Cape Town — I want a commission in the army, man — I’m related to a British general — I dondered an old coolie op.
2. figurative. To beat, overcome, defeat (someone or something).
1965 K. Mackenzie Deserter 79You are mad, Japie. How can you have a war without shooting Englishmen? And they will donner you eventually.
1990 Sunday Times 25 Mar. 5We are busy dondering you around but you can do nothing about it because we don’t want to do business with you.
Often in the phrases to donner (someone) up or (less commonly) to donner (someone) op [probably influenced by both English beat up and Afrikaans opdonder].To beat up, thrash, hit; moer verb sense 1; neuk sense 1.
To beat, overcome, defeat (someone or something).
- Derivatives:
- Hence donnering verbal noun.1976 S.A. Matthews in E. Prov. Herald 26 Oct. 2Security has come to mean ‘dondering’ of any opposition that offers a serious challenge.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English.