can't do anything with

Idioms

Unable to cope with or manage someone or something. For example, I can't do anything with my hair, or My teenage daughter is very difficult—I can't do anything with her. This expression uses do in the sense of “deal with,” a usage dating from the early 1500s.

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.

See Examples For:

can't do anything with

“Life is so unpredictable and uncertain. We can’t do anything with this uncertainty.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 8, 2022

“If you really have two patrol cars out there, you can’t do anything with 200 other cars on the runway,” Sheriff’s Sgt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2022

"We can't do anything with that £437m," he added.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2022

“People can’t do anything with this miserable salary,” said Jean Wilkens Pierre.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2022

But I can’t do anything with Balekin between me and the stairs.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023