do1Audio Help/du; unstresseddʊ, də/Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[doo; unstresseddoo, duh]Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciationverb and auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person do, 2nd do or (Archaic) do·est or dost, 3rd does or (Archaic) do·eth or doth, present plural do; past singular 1st person did, 2nd did or (Archaic) didst, 3rd did, past plural did; past participle done; present participle do·ing; noun, plural dos, do's.
–verb (used with object)
1.
to perform (an act, duty, role, etc.): Do nothing until you hear the bell.
2.
to execute (a piece or amount of work): to do a hauling job.
3.
to accomplish; finish; complete: He has already done his homework.
4.
to put forth; exert: Do your best.
5.
to be the cause of (good, harm, credit, etc.); bring about; effect.
6.
to render, give, or pay (homage, justice, etc.).
7.
to deal with, fix, clean, arrange, move, etc., (anything) as the case may require: to do the dishes.
8.
to travel; traverse: We did 30 miles today.
9.
to serve; suffice for: This will do us for the present.
10.
to condone or approve, as by custom or practice: That sort of thing simply isn't done.
11.
to travel at the rate of (a specified speed): He was doing 80 when they arrested him.
12.
to make or prepare: I'll do the salad.
13.
to serve (a term of time) in prison, or, sometimes, in office.
14.
to create, form, or bring into being: She does wonderful oil portraits.
15.
to translate into or change the form or language of: MGM did the book into a movie.
16.
to study or work at or in the field of: I have to do my math tonight.
17.
to explore or travel through as a sightseer: They did Greece in three weeks.
18.
(used with a pronoun, as it or that, or with a general noun, as thing, that refers to a previously mentioned action): You were supposed to write thank-you letters; do it before tomorrow, please.
19.
Informal. to wear out; exhaust; tire: That last set of tennis did me.
20.
Informal. to cheat, trick, or take advantage of: That crooked dealer did him for $500 at poker.
21.
Informal. to attend or participate in: Let's do lunch next week.
22.
Slang. to use (a drug or drugs), esp. habitually: The police report said he was doing cocaine.
–verb (used without object)
23.
to act or conduct oneself; be in action; behave.
24.
Slang. to rob; steal from: The law got him for doing a lot of banks.
25.
to proceed: to do wisely.
26.
to get along; fare; manage: to do without an automobile.
27.
to be in health, as specified: Mother and child are doing fine.
28.
to serve or be satisfactory, as for the purpose; be enough; suffice: Will this do?
29.
to finish or be finished.
30.
to happen; take place; transpire: What's doing at the office?
31.
(used as a substitute to avoid repetition of a verb or full verb expression): I think as you do.
–auxiliary verb
32.
(used in interrogative, negative, and inverted constructions): Do you like music? I don't care. Seldom do we witness such catastrophes.
33.
Archaic. (used in imperatives with you or thou expressed; and occasionally as a metric filler in verse): Do thou hasten to the king's side. The wind did blow, the rain did fall.
34.
(used to lend emphasis to a principal verb): Do visit us!
–noun
35.
Informal. a burst of frenzied activity; action; commotion.
36.
Informal. a hairdo or hair styling.
37.
BritishSlang. a swindle; hoax.
38.
Chiefly British. a festive social gathering; party.
—Verb phrases
39.
do by, to deal with; treat: He had always done well by his family.
40.
do for,
a.
to cause the defeat, ruin, or death of.
b.
Chiefly British. to cook and keep house for; manage or provide for.
41.
do in, Informal.
a.
to kill, esp. to murder.
b.
to injure gravely or exhaust; wear out; ruin: The tropical climate did them in.
c.
to cheat or swindle: He was done in by an unscrupulous broker.
42.
do over, to redecorate.
43.
do up, Informal.
a.
to wrap and tie up.
b.
to pin up or arrange (the hair).
c.
to renovate; launder; clean.
d.
to wear out; tire.
e.
to fasten: Do up your coat.
f.
to dress: The children were all done up in funny costumes.
44.
do with, to gain advantage or benefit from; make use of: I could do with more leisure time.
45.
do without,
a.
to forgo; dispense with.
b.
to dispense with the thing mentioned: The store doesn't have any, so you'll have to do without.
make do, to get along with what is at hand, despite its inadequacy: I can't afford a new coat so I have to make do with this one.
[Origin: bef. 900; ME, OE dōn; c. D doen, G tun; akin to L -dere to put, facere to make, do, Gk tithénai to set, put, Skt dadhāti (he) puts]
—Synonyms 1, 25. act. 3.Do,accomplish,achieve mean to bring some action to a conclusion. Do is the general word: He did a great deal of hard work. Accomplish and achieve both connote successful completion of an undertaking. Accomplish emphasizes attaining a desired goal through effort, skill, and perseverance: to accomplish what one has hoped for. Achieve emphasizes accomplishing something important, excellent, or great: to achieve a major breakthrough.
To perform or execute: do one's assigned task; do a series of business deals.
To fulfill the requirements of: did my duty at all times.
To carry out; commit: a crime that had been done on purpose.
To produce, especially by creative effort: do a play on Broadway.
To play the part or role of in a creative production: did Elizabeth I in the film.
To mimic: "doing the Southern voice, improvising it inventively as he goes along"(William H. Pritchard).
To bring about; effect: Crying won't do any good now.
To render; give: do equal justice to the opposing sides; do honor to one's family.
To attend to in such a way as to take care of or put in order: did the bedrooms before the guests arrived.
To prepare for further use especially by washing: did the dishes.
To set or style (the hair).
To apply cosmetics to: did her face.
To travel (a specified distance): do a mile in four minutes.
To make a tour of; visit: "[He] did 15 countries of Western Europe in only a few days"(R.W. Apple, Jr.)
To be sufficient in meeting the needs of; serve: This room will do us very nicely.
Informal To serve (a prison term): did time in jail; did five years for tax fraud.
To produce, especially by creative effort: do a play on Broadway.
To play the part or role of in a creative production: did Elizabeth I in the film.
To mimic: "doing the Southern voice, improvising it inventively as he goes along"(William H. Pritchard).
To bring about; effect: Crying won't do any good now.
To render; give: do equal justice to the opposing sides; do honor to one's family.
To attend to in such a way as to take care of or put in order: did the bedrooms before the guests arrived.
To prepare for further use especially by washing: did the dishes.
To set or style (the hair).
To apply cosmetics to: did her face.
To travel (a specified distance): do a mile in four minutes.
To make a tour of; visit: "[He] did 15 countries of Western Europe in only a few days"(R.W. Apple, Jr.)
To be sufficient in meeting the needs of; serve: This room will do us very nicely.
Informal To serve (a prison term): did time in jail; did five years for tax fraud.
To bring about; effect: Crying won't do any good now.
To render; give: do equal justice to the opposing sides; do honor to one's family.
To attend to in such a way as to take care of or put in order: did the bedrooms before the guests arrived.
To prepare for further use especially by washing: did the dishes.
To set or style (the hair).
To apply cosmetics to: did her face.
To travel (a specified distance): do a mile in four minutes.
To make a tour of; visit: "[He] did 15 countries of Western Europe in only a few days"(R.W. Apple, Jr.)
To be sufficient in meeting the needs of; serve: This room will do us very nicely.
Informal To serve (a prison term): did time in jail; did five years for tax fraud.
To put forth; exert: Do the best you can.
To attend to in such a way as to take care of or put in order: did the bedrooms before the guests arrived.
To prepare for further use especially by washing: did the dishes.
To set or style (the hair).
To apply cosmetics to: did her face.
To travel (a specified distance): do a mile in four minutes.
To make a tour of; visit: "[He] did 15 countries of Western Europe in only a few days"(R.W. Apple, Jr.)
To be sufficient in meeting the needs of; serve: This room will do us very nicely.
Informal To serve (a prison term): did time in jail; did five years for tax fraud.
To set or style (the hair).
To apply cosmetics to: did her face.
To travel (a specified distance): do a mile in four minutes.
To make a tour of; visit: "[He] did 15 countries of Western Europe in only a few days"(R.W. Apple, Jr.)
To be sufficient in meeting the needs of; serve: This room will do us very nicely.
Informal To serve (a prison term): did time in jail; did five years for tax fraud.
To have as an occupation or profession: Have you decided what you will do after college?
To work out by studying: do a homework assignment.
Used as a substitute for an antecedent verb: He can play the piano, and I can do that, too.
Informal
To travel (a specified distance): do a mile in four minutes.
To make a tour of; visit: "[He] did 15 countries of Western Europe in only a few days"(R.W. Apple, Jr.)
To be sufficient in meeting the needs of; serve: This room will do us very nicely.
Informal To serve (a prison term): did time in jail; did five years for tax fraud.
To be sufficient in meeting the needs of; serve: This room will do us very nicely.
Informal To serve (a prison term): did time in jail; did five years for tax fraud.
Slang To cheat; swindle: do a relative out of an inheritance.
Slang To take (drugs) illegally: "If you do drugs you are going to be in continual trouble"(Jimmy Breslin).
Slang To kill; murder.
Vulgar Slang To have sex with; bring to orgasm.
v.
intr.
To behave or conduct oneself; act: Do as I say and you won't get into trouble.
To get along; fare: students who do well at school.
To carry on; manage: I could do without your interference.
To make good use of something because of need: I could do with a hot bath.
To serve a specified purpose: This coat will do for another season.
To be proper or fitting: Such behavior just won't do.
To serve a specified purpose: This coat will do for another season.
To be proper or fitting: Such behavior just won't do.
To take place; happen: What's doing in London this time of year?
Used as a substitute for an antecedent verb: worked as hard as everyone else did.
Used after another verb for emphasis: Run quickly, do!
v.
aux.
Used with the infinitive without to in questions, negative statements, and inverted phrases: Do you understand? I did not sleep well. Little did we know what was in store for us.
Used as a means of emphasis: I do want to be sure.
n.
pl.dos or do's
A statement of what should be done: a list of the dos and don'ts of management.
Informal An entertainment; a party: attended a big do at the embassy.
A commotion.
Chiefly British Slang A swindle; a cheat.
Archaic Duty; deed.
Slang Fecal matter; excrement.
To tire completely; exhaust: The marathon did me in.
To kill.
To ruin utterly: Huge losses on the stock market did many investors in.
To adorn or dress lavishly: The children were all done up in matching outfits.
To wrap and tie (a package).
To fasten: do up the buttons on a dress.
Phrasal Verb(s): do by
To behave with respect to; deal with: The children have done well by their aged parents. do for
To care or provide for; take care of.
do in Slang
To tire completely; exhaust: The marathon did me in.
To kill.
To ruin utterly: Huge losses on the stock market did many investors in.
do up
To adorn or dress lavishly: The children were all done up in matching outfits.
To wrap and tie (a package).
To fasten: do up the buttons on a dress.
do without
To manage despite the absence of: We had to do without a telephone on the island.
Idiom(s):
can/could do without
To prefer not to experience or deal with: I could do without their complaints.
Idiom(s):
do a disappearing act Informal
To vanish.
Idiom(s):
do away with
To make an end of; eliminate.
To destroy; kill.
Idiom(s):
do it Vulgar Slang
To engage in sexual intercourse.
Idiom(s):
do (one) proud
To act or perform in a way that gives cause for pride.
Idiom(s):
do (one's) bit
To make an individual contribution toward an overall effort.
Idiom(s):
do (one's) business
Slang To defecate. Used especially of a pet.
Idiom(s):
do (one's) own thing Slang
To do what one does best or finds most enjoyable: "I get paid to try cases and to do my thing on trial"(Bruce Cutler).
[Middle English don, from Old English dōn; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]
Main Entry: do Function: verb Inflected Forms: did; done; do·ing; does transitive verb 1:PERFORM, EXECUTE 2:COMMIT <did this act of cruelty> verbal auxiliary —used with the infinitive without to to form present and
past tenses in legal and parliamentary language <do hereby bequeath>—do business: to be engaged in business activities (as soliciting sales); specifically: to engage in activities sufficient to subject a foreign company to the personal jurisdiction of a state <was sufficient to constitute doing business in the state
—International Shoe Company v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310 (1945)> —see also DOING BUSINESS
STATUTE
Do\, v. t. or auxiliary. [imp. Din; p. p. Done; p. pr. & vb. n. Doing. This verb, when transitive, is formed in the indicative, present tense, thus: I do, thou doest (?) or dost ?, he does (?), doeth (?), or doth (?); when auxiliary, the second person is, thou dost. As an independent verb, dost is obsolete or rare, except in poetry. "What dost thou in this world?" --Milton. The form doeth is a verb unlimited, doth, formerly so used, now being the auxiliary form. The second pers, sing., imperfect tense, is didst (?), formerly didest (?).] [AS. d?n; akin to D. doen, OS. duan, OHG. tuon, G. thun, Lith. deti, OSlav. d?ti, OIr. d['e]nim I do, Gr. ? to put, Skr. dh[=a], and to E. suffix -dom, and prob. to L. facere to do, E. fact, and perh. to L. -dere in some compounfds, as addere to add, credere to trust. ??? Cf. Deed, Deem, Doom, Fact, Creed, Theme.]1. To place; to put. [Obs.] --Tale of a Usurer (about 1330). 2. To cause; to make; -- with an infinitive. [Obs.] My lord Abbot of Westminster did do shewe to me late certain evidences. --W. Caxton. I shall . . . your cloister do make. --Piers Plowman. A fatal plague which many did to die. --Spenser. We do you to wit [i. e., We make you to know] of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia. --2 Cor. viii. 1. Note: We have lost the idiom shown by the citations (do used like the French faire or laisser), in which the verb in the infinitive apparently, but not really, has a passive signification, i. e., cause . . . to be made. 3. To bring about; to produce, as an effect or result; to effect; to achieve. The neglecting it may do much danger. --Shak. He waved indifferently 'twixt doing them neither good not harm. --Shak. 4. To perform, as an action; to execute; to transact to carry out in action; as, to do a good or a bad act; do our duty; to do what I can. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work. --Ex. xx. 9. We did not do these things. --Ld. Lytton. You can not do wrong without suffering wrong. --Emerson. Hence: To do homage, honor, favor, justice, etc., to render homage, honor, etc. 5. To bring to an end by action; to perform completely; to finish; to accomplish; -- a sense conveyed by the construction, which is that of the past participle done. "Ere summer half be done." "I have done weeping." --Shak. 6. To make ready for an object, purpose, or use, as food by cooking; to cook completely or sufficiently; as, the meat is done on one side only. 7. To put or bring into a form, state, or condition, especially in the phrases, to do death, to put to death; to slay; to do away (often do away with), to put away; to remove; to do on, to put on; to don; to do off, to take off, as dress; to doff; to do into, to put into the form of; to translate or transform into, as a text. Done to death by slanderous tongues. -- Shak. The ground of the difficulty is done away. -- Paley. Suspicions regarding his loyalty were entirely done away. --Thackeray. To do on our own harness, that we may not; but we must do on the armor of God. -- Latimer. Then Jason rose and did on him a fair Blue woolen tunic. -- W. Morris (Jason). Though the former legal pollution be now done off, yet there is a spiritual contagion in idolatry as much to be shunned. --Milton. It ["Pilgrim's Progress"] has been done into verse: it has been done into modern English. -- Macaulay. 8. To cheat; to gull; to overreach. [Colloq.] He was not be done, at his time of life, by frivolous offers of a compromise that might have secured him seventy-five per cent. -- De Quincey. 9. To see or inspect; to explore; as, to do all the points of interest. [Colloq.] 10. (Stock Exchange) To cash or to advance money for, as a bill or note. Note: (a) Do and did are much employed as auxiliaries, the verb to which they are joined being an infinitive. As an auxiliary the verb do has no participle. "I do set my bow in the cloud." --Gen. ix. 13. [Now archaic or rare except for emphatic assertion.] Rarely . . . did the wrongs of individuals to the knowledge of the public. -- Macaulay. (b) They are often used in emphatic construction. "You don't say so, Mr. Jobson. -- but I do say so." --Sir W. Scott. "I did love him, but scorn him now." --Latham. (c) In negative and interrogative constructions, do and did are in common use. I do not wish to see them; what do you think? Did C[ae]sar cross the Tiber? He did not. "Do you love me?" --Shak. (d) Do, as an auxiliary, is supposed to have been first used before imperatives. It expresses entreaty or earnest request; as, do help me. In the imperative mood, but not in the indicative, it may be used with the verb to be; as, do be quiet. Do, did, and done often stand as a general substitute or representative verb, and thus save the repetition of the principal verb. "To live and die is all we have to do." --Denham. In the case of do and did as auxiliaries, the sense may be completed by the infinitive (without to) of the verb represented. "When beauty lived and died as flowers do now." --Shak. "I . . . chose my wife as she did her wedding gown." --Goldsmith. My brightest hopes giving dark fears a being. As the light does the shadow. -- Longfellow. In unemphatic affirmative sentences do is, for the most part, archaic or poetical; as, "This just reproach their virtue does excite." --Dryden. To do one's best, To do one's diligence (and the like), to exert one's self; to put forth one's best or most or most diligent efforts. "We will . . . do our best to gain their assent." --Jowett (Thucyd.). To do one's business, to ruin one. [Colloq.] --Wycherley. To do one shame, to cause one shame. [Obs.] To do over. (a) To make over; to perform a second time. (b) To cover; to spread; to smear. "Boats . . . sewed together and done over with a kind of slimy stuff like rosin." --De Foe. To do to death, to put to death. (See 7.) [Obs.] To do up. (a) To put up; to raise. [Obs.] --Chaucer. (b) To pack together and envelop; to pack up. (c) To accomplish thoroughly. [Colloq.] (d) To starch and iron. "A rich gown of velvet, and a ruff done up with the famous yellow starch." --Hawthorne. To do way, to put away; to lay aside. [Obs.] --Chaucer. To do with, to dispose of; to make use of; to employ; -- usually preceded by what. "Men are many times brought to that extremity, that were it not for God they would not know what to do with themselves." --Tillotson. To have to do with, to have concern, business or intercourse with; to deal with. When preceded by what, the notion is usually implied that the affair does not concern the person denoted by the subject of have. "Philology has to do with language in its fullest sense." --Earle. "What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? --2 Sam. xvi. 10.
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