do away with
Britishverb
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to kill or destroy
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to discard or abolish
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Make an end of, eliminate. For example, The town fathers have decided to do away with the old lighting system .
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Demolish, destroy, kill, as in The animal officer did away with the injured deer lying by the side of the road . In the 13th century both usages were simply put as do away , the with being added only in the late 1700s.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And finally, the hosts discuss the backlash to the SEC’s proposal to do away with its quarterly report requirement.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026
Burnham’s team decided to do away with the wooden podium, opting for the new prime minister to give his remarks without any notes, to signify a break with the past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
"The computer will do away with work; everyone will be ecstatically happy."
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Warsh wants to do away with forward guidance, but has declined to address how he would approach interest rate decisions if confirmed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
Won’t the President do away with this hate and revenge that you’re tellin’ me about?”
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
