Teflon Don
Teflon Don proper noun: nickname for John Gotti (1940–2002), American crime boss.
Proper noun (1)
the Teflon Don
- Nickname for John Gotti (1940–2002), American crime boss.
- On June 23, 1992, Mafia boss John Gotti, who was nicknamed the "Teflon Don" after escaping unscathed from several trials during the 1980s, is sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty on 14 accounts of conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering.2020 June 22, “Mafia boss John Gotti, aka "Teflon Don," sentenced to life”, in History.com
Proper noun (2)
Teflon Don
- Nickname for Q22686 (born 1946), President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025).
- Former President Trump – long deemed Teflon Don for his ability to dodge legal matters – is facing a series of serious criminal charges brought by the Justice Department, which unsealed a 37-count indictment on Friday related to his handling of classified documents.2023 June 10, “Trump faces biggest challenge yet to 'Teflon Don' persona”, in The Hill
- We can choose [Donald Trump] a charismatic man who claims to be a billionare having inherited much of his fortune and way of thinking from his father, […] Or we can choose [Kamala Harris] a woman of color, whose parents were world-renowned scientists in the fields of economics and cancer research...2024 September 17, William Thwing, “Vote your conscience”, in Rutland Herald, Rutland, Vt., →OCLC, page A4, column 4
- Synonyms:
- DJT, The Donald, Trump, Cheeto, Dementia Don, Diaper Don, Dirty Donald, Donald Duck, Donald Trumpet, Don Snoreleone
Synonyms of Teflon Don
- DJT
- The Donald
- Trump
- Cheeto
- Dementia Don
- Diaper Don
- Dirty Donald
- Donald Duck
- Donald Trumpet
- Don Snoreleone
20 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Origin of Teflon Don
From teflon (“able to easily shrug off or deflect criticism or blame”) + don (“mafia boss”), after three high-profile trials in the 1980s resulted in acquittals.
From teflon (“able to easily shrug off or deflect criticism or blame”) + Don (diminutive of Donald), for Trump’s supposed ability to dodge legal matters. Compare Dutch Teflon Mark.
Questions about Teflon Don
- What does Teflon Don mean?
- Teflon Don means nickname for John Gotti (1940–2002), American crime boss.
- What part of speech is Teflon Don?
- Teflon Don is a proper noun.
Words near Teflon Don in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Teflon Don (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “Teflon Don.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/teflon_don. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.