can-do

[ kan-doo ]

/ ˈkænˈdu /

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adjective Informal.

marked by purposefulness and efficiency: a can-do executive.

noun

the quality of being efficient and enthusiastic.

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QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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Origin of can-do

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby can-do

candlestick, candle-tree, candlewick, candlewood, C & M, can-do, Candolle, Candomblé, candor, candour, can do with

How to use can-do in a sentence

When they thought about Lewis, what struck the players most was that he never acted like a do-gooder.
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down|Nicolaus Mills|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
First on the to-do list, the profiling exercises to help the Western masses understand the nature of the wretched beast.
ISIS and BS|Amal Ghandour|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If someone wants to dismiss this as do-goodism, fine, but it has real world effects.
Confronting George Clooney’s Critics on South Sudan|John Avlon|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So it's really a take-what-you-can-get kind of situation with him.
‘Scandal’ Review: Olivia Pope Has Lost Her Damn Mind|Kevin Fallon|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Think of it as the Jersey Shore exception, where you can act like a brutish goon and the first bust is essentially a do-over.
Ray Rice Should Have Remembered His 'Kindness' Anti-Bullying Wristband|Michael Daly|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The ne'er-do-well blew, like seed before the wind, to distant places, but mankind at large stayed at home.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
With time this land had mounted to great values and the holders had been made well-to-do thereby.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
His parents were of the well-to-do farming class, occupied from one year's end to the other with the work of the fields.
Bastien Lepage|Fr. Crastre
From Bungay in Suffolk comes the news that a water-wagtail has built its nest in a milk-can.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various
“But it certainly was a great to-do,” murmured Jessie, as she tried to see what the boys were doing.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose

British Dictionary definitions for can-do

can-do

adjective

confident and resourceful in the face of challengesa can-do attitude

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

can-do

Origin of can-do

Words nearby can-do

Words related to can-do

How to use can-do in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for can-do