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• make-do
  make-do

  noun

  something that serves as a substitute, especially of an inferior or expedient nature.
• make do
  make do

  Get along with the means available, especially insufficient means. For example, We'll just have to make do with one potato apiece. [c. 1900]

make-do

American  

[meyk-doo] / ˈmeɪkˌdu /

noun

make-dos plural

1. something that serves as a substitute, especially of an inferior or expedient nature.

   We had to get along with make-dos during the war.

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adjective

1. used as a substitute; makeshift.

   make-do curtains.

make do Idioms  

1. Get along with the means available, especially insufficient means. For example, We'll just have to make do with one potato apiece. [c. 1900]

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• make-dos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of make-do

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

make-do make do make-dos

Instead, Ukrainians are showing the resilience and make-do attitude that have frustrated Moscow’s efforts to pummel them into submission.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026

The fans will have to make-do with a short written statement.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026

“Full Time” is canny enough to understand that many people’s make-do existences are ready-made for compassionate thriller-ization.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2023

There are many cemetery residents happy to be leaving shabby make-do homes for new apartments, he said.

From New York Times ● Apr. 24, 2022

“Your make-do is better than the Ritz,” I said, helping myself to some more chicken and dumplings.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

The combination of high prices and slower wage growth means Americans have to make do with less, at least until inflation begins to recede again.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026

The students who come from the neighborhoods she serves have to make do with schools that don’t instill curiosity but simply demand that they memorize things and sit still.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Pouyanne said the world can't make do without these supplies and not suffer serious consequences.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

East African farmers struggled to afford fertilizer even before the crisis and will likely have to make do with even less.

From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2026

They consequently had to make do with only the most essential possessions.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Between those two poles lies the observation that popular collar stay make-dos include paper clips, strips of business cards, and—hat tip to Heloise—wood coffee stirrers.

From Slate ● Mar. 12, 2014

Related Words

• brief
• interim
• limited
• makeshift
• momentary
• provisional
• short-lived
• transitory