do
verb (used with object)
to perform (an act, duty, role, etc.).
do
1 American
[doo, doo, duh]
/ du, dʊ, də /
verb (used with object)
-
does,
present (3rd person singular)
-
did,
past
-
done,
past participle
-
doing
present participle
-
to perform (an act, duty, role, etc.).
Do nothing until you hear the bell.
- Synonyms:
- act
-
to execute (a piece or amount of work).
to do a hauling job.
-
to accomplish; finish; complete.
He has already done his homework.
-
to put forth; exert.
Do your best.
-
to be the cause of (good, harm, credit, etc.); bring about; effect.
-
to render, give, or pay (homage, justice, etc.).
-
to deal with, fix, clean, arrange, move, etc., (anything) as the case may require.
to do the dishes.
-
to travel; traverse.
We did 30 miles today.
-
to serve; suffice for.
This will do us for the present.
-
to condone or approve, as by custom or practice.
That sort of thing simply isn't done.
-
to travel at the rate of (a specified speed).
He was doing 80 when they arrested him.
-
to make or prepare.
I'll do the salad.
-
to serve (a term of time) in prison, or, sometimes, in office.
-
to create, form, or bring into being.
She does wonderful oil portraits.
-
to translate into or change the form or language of.
MGM did the book into a movie.
-
to study or work at or in the field of.
I have to do my math tonight.
-
to explore or travel through as a sightseer.
They did Greece in three weeks.
-
(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.
-
Informal. to wear out; exhaust; tire.
That last set of tennis did me.
-
Informal. to cheat, trick, or take advantage of.
That crooked dealer did him for $500 at poker.
-
Informal. to attend or participate in.
Let's do lunch next week.
-
Slang. to use (a drug or drugs), especially habitually.
The police report said he was doing cocaine.
-
Slang. to rob; steal from.
The law got him for doing a lot of banks.
-
Slang: Vulgar. to have sex with.
-
Informal. (usually in the negative) to act in accordance with expectations associated with (something specified).
Just ignore her insults—she doesn’t do polite.
verb (used without object)
-
does,
present (3rd person singular)
-
did,
past
-
done,
past participle
-
doing
present participle
-
to act or conduct oneself; be in action; behave.
-
to proceed.
to do wisely.
-
to get along; fare; manage.
to do without an automobile.
-
to be in health, as specified.
Mother and child are doing fine.
-
to serve or be satisfactory, as for the purpose; be enough; suffice.
Will this do?
-
to finish or be finished.
-
to happen; take place; transpire.
What's doing at the office?
-
(used as a substitute to avoid repetition of a verb or full verb expression).
I think as you do.
auxiliary verb
-
does,
present (3rd person singular)
-
did,
past
-
done,
past participle
-
doing
present participle
-
(used in interrogative, negative, and inverted constructions).
Do you like music? I don't care. Seldom do we witness such catastrophes.
-
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.
-
(used to lend emphasis to a principal verb).
Do visit us!
noun
-
dos,
plural
-
do's
plural
-
Informal. a burst of frenzied activity; action; commotion.
-
Informal. a hairdo or hair styling.
-
British Slang. a swindle; hoax.
-
Informal. a festive social gathering; party.
verb phrase
-
do without
-
to forgo; dispense with.
-
to dispense with the thing mentioned.
The store doesn't have any, so you'll have to do without.
-
-
do in
-
to kill, especially to murder.
-
to injure gravely or exhaust; wear out; ruin.
The tropical climate did them in.
-
to cheat or swindle.
He was done in by an unscrupulous broker.
-
-
do up
-
to wrap and tie up.
-
to pin up or arrange (the hair).
-
to renovate; launder; clean.
-
to wear out; tire.
-
to fasten.
Do up your coat.
-
to dress.
The children were all done up in funny costumes.
-
-
do for
-
to cause the defeat, ruin, or death of.
-
Chiefly British. to cook and keep house for; manage or provide for.
-
-
do over to redecorate.
-
do with to gain advantage or benefit from; make use of.
I could do with more leisure time.
-
do by to deal with; treat.
He had always done well by his family.
idioms
-
do time, to serve a term in prison.
It's hard to get a decent job once you've done time.
-
dos and don'ts, customs, rules, or regulations.
The dos and don'ts of polite manners are easy to learn.
-
do one's (own) thing. thing.
-
do a number on (someone). number.
-
have to do with. have.
-
do one's number. number.
-
do away with,
-
to put an end to; abolish.
-
to kill.
-
-
do or die, to make a supreme effort.
-
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.
-
do one proud. proud.
-
do to death. death.
-
do out of, to swindle; cheat.
A furniture store did me out of several hundred dollars.
do
2
American
[doh]
/ doʊ /
noun
Music.
-
dos
plural
-
the syllable used for the first tone or keynote of a diatonic scale.
-
(in the fixed system of solmization) the tone C.
do.
3
American
abbreviation
D/O
4
American
Or
d.o.
D.O.
5
American
Or
DO
do
1
British
/ duː, də, dʊ /
verb
-
to perform or complete (a deed or action)
to do a portrait
the work is done
-
to serve the needs of; be suitable for (a person, situation, etc); suffice
there isn't much food, but it'll do for the two of us
-
(tr) to arrange or fix
you should do the garden now
-
(tr) to prepare or provide; serve
this restaurant doesn't do lunch on Sundays
-
(tr) to make tidy, elegant, ready, etc, as by arranging or adorning
to do one's hair
-
(tr) to improve (esp in the phrase do something to or for )
-
(tr) to find an answer to (a problem or puzzle)
-
(tr) to translate or adapt the form or language of
the book was done into a play
-
(intr) to conduct oneself
do as you please
-
(intr) to fare or manage
how are you doing these days?
-
(tr) to cause or produce
complaints do nothing to help
-
(tr) to give or render
your portrait doesn't do you justice
do me a favour
-
(tr) to work at, esp as a course of study or a profession
he is doing chemistry
what do you do for a living?
-
(tr) to perform (a play, etc); act
they are doing ``Hamlet'' next week
-
(tr) to travel at a specified speed, esp as a maximum
this car will do 120 mph
-
(tr) to travel or traverse (a distance)
we did 15 miles on our walk
-
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary before the subject of an interrogative sentence as a way of forming a question
do you agree?
when did John go out?
-
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary to intensify positive statements and commands
I do like your new house
do hurry!
-
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary before a negative adverb to form negative statements or commands
he does not like cheese
do not leave me here alone!
-
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary in inverted constructions
little did he realize that
only rarely does he come in before ten o'clock
-
used as an auxiliary to replace an earlier verb or verb phrase to avoid repetition
he likes you as much as I do
-
informal (tr) to visit or explore as a sightseer or tourist
to do Westminster Abbey
-
(tr) to wear out; exhaust
-
(intr) to happen (esp in the phrase nothing doing )
-
slang (tr) to serve (a period of time) as a prison sentence
he's doing three years for burglary
he's doing time
-
informal (tr) to cheat or swindle
-
slang (tr) to rob
they did three shops last night
-
slang (tr)
-
to arrest
-
to convict of a crime
-
-
informal (tr) to lose or spend (money) completely
-
slang (tr) to treat violently; assault
-
slang (tr) to take or use (a drug)
-
taboo (tr) (of a male) to have sexual intercourse with
-
(tr) to partake in (a meal)
let's do lunch
-
informal to act like; imitate
he's a good mimic – he can do all his friends well
-
to make a final or supreme effort
-
a conventional formula when being introduced
-
to manage with whatever is available
noun
-
slang an act or instance of cheating or swindling
-
informal a formal or festive gathering; party
-
informal those things that should or should not be done; rules
DO
2
British
abbreviation
-
Doctor of Optometry
-
Doctor of Osteopathy
D/O
3
British
abbreviation
do
4
British
/ dəʊ /
noun
do
5
British
abbreviation
do.
6
British
abbreviation
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dosimple
-
doessimple
-
have doneperfect
-
has doneperfect
-
am doingprogressive
-
are doingprogressive
-
is doingprogressive
-
have been doingperfect progressive
-
has been doingperfect progressive
Past
-
didsimple
-
had doneperfect
-
was doingprogressive
-
were doingprogressive
-
had been doingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of do1
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English dōn; cognate with Dutch doen, German tun; akin to Latin -dere “to put,” facere “to make, do,” Greek tithénai “to set, put,” Sanskrit dadhāti “(he) puts”
Origin of do2
First recorded in 1745–55; from Italian, inverted variant of ut; see origin at gamut
Explanation
To do is to act, perform, or undertake. When you do chores, you engage in the activity of cleaning the kitchen or taking out the trash. Do is one of the most frequently used verbs in English. You do many things in a typical day: you might do the dishes, do your job, and later on, do your taxes. If you meet an old-fashioned gentleman, he might say, "How do you do?" essentially meaning, "Hello." After a difficult test, your friend could ask, "How did you do?" You can also do as you please, or just do nothing all day long.
Vocabulary lists containing do
Scrabble: Two-Letter Words
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Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 3
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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:
Bessent said "no one is above the reach of US sanctions" when asked if Washington would target Chinese banks that do business with Iran.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Until they can do so, Kress said, “Nvidia is needed to help power this flywheel.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Following an inquest, coroner Anita Bhardwaj warned: "The general public do not appreciate the life-threatening risks involved with having lithium-ion batteries, from electronic bikes in this case, stored in domestic properties."
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
"That is the question that everybody is asking, is how do we prevent something like this from happening in the future," Griffen said, adding that mothers need to be connected with better resources.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
I know not every soon-to-be fifteen-year-old thinks so deeply about the finiteness of time, but I do.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
“Instinctually, maybe I do. I don’t know. I don’t question it. I don’t dwell on it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
"The bumps are so big. There's not much you can do. You need to have a car that's all right over bumps, that's not trying to kill you every time," Palou said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
“Quantum will solve problems that traditional compute takes too long to do. And that AI can’t really do,” Wilson, Allstate’s Chair, President and CEO, told me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“I really do. Everybody’s always said, ‘No, no.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
“They most certainly do. I taught your dad how to make it for their wedding day!”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
"Robotic-assisted surgery has the potential to change the way surgeons think about revision knee replacement," said Matthew Bullock, D.O., associate professor of orthopaedic surgery and co-author on the study.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2024
But the dance instructor has a TikTok following of his own, and the D.O. is also a Lululemon ambassador.
From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2021
Yet each year thousands of graduates emerge from medical schools with a virtually useless M.D. or D.O.; without residency experience, they do not qualify for licensure in any state.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2021
“But what keeps me wanting to be a journalist and wanting to do it here is seeing the effect that the D.O. has. It’s really cool and exciting.”
From Washington Times ● Nov. 4, 2019
The D.O. must see that his Officers possess, and live in, the spirit of The Army.
From The Authoritative Life of General William Booth by George S. (George Scott) Railton
Images of Air Force One parked at the Turkish airport show vehicles labeled with the logo of a catering company called Turkish DO & CO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
"This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism," Cassidy said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Contrary to Louise Casey's point of view, some survivors DO want a judge led inquiry - and have objected to the concept of a chair with a background in policing or social work.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2025
“If you receive one of these citations, DO NOT scan the QR code, and report it to the Alhambra PD Traffic Section at 626-570-5119,” the police department wrote on social media.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2024
Along the way, they’d pass a manhole cover on which someone had spray-painted DO NOT EAT THIS!
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Everyone has sartorial do’s and don’ts for the office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The DMA comes with a list of do's and don'ts for the world's biggest digital platforms in an attempt to keep them in check and create an open online space.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Across schools, the bigger fix would be more precision from administrators on AI do’s and don’ts, Anand said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
"Did she think she had the right to do that? Did her production team tell her what the do's and don'ts were?"
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
It also indicates plurals of words: What are the do’s and don’t’s?
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
The researchers are now testing moringa seed extract on water collected from the Paraíba do Sul River, which supplies São José dos Campos.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 20, 2026
Yet tourists might find themselves entirely alone at Cromeleque dos Almendres which along with the smaller and less-visited Cromeleque de Vale Maria do Meio are mysterious mini-Stonehenge circles of planted stone monoliths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
Claudiane Pereira dos Santos, 50, a cleaner, welcomes the tourist "frenzy."
From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026
Rio's public safety secretary, Victor dos Santos, told Reuters that the goal of the operation had been to carry out scores of arrest warrants issued by prosecutors.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025
I did not want to find out the hard way the dos and don’ts of kittens.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Rams coach Sean McVay does not play starters or players expected to be significant backups or contributors during the preseason, especially in the final game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
The PPS does not comment on any evidence in a file while it remains under consideration.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The Treasury auctioned $44 billion in seven-year notes, as it usually does at the end of each month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The research does not propose physical mechanisms for the observed changes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
What if he really does have a sick wife?
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
She did not reveal who submitted information, saying she wanted to ensure people feel comfortable coming forward with tips in the future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
But whatever some gamers might think, Geoffray Brunaux, a lawyer specialising in digital law, told AFP that holders of a physical game did not own it any more than those with a digital copy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
“When they asked me what sort of scale of financial support did we need, I told them it was big,” Goldsmith said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The Chargers’ starters on defense, without safety Derwin James Jr. and outside linebacker Khalil Mack, did its part against the Rams’ second-stringers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Johnson describes her actions during the war, but also details all the things Joey did for the patients at Tala, documenting it for perpetuity in the Congressional Record.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
"And once again, I see that it is others who will investigate and define what was done to me and to other Inuit women."
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
"You just think someone, somewhere along the line, has just not done their job properly," he added.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Their final scenes, full of reflections and regrets — they probably couldn’t have done them quite the same 12 years earlier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The company then expanded its agent rollout to encourage employees to use AI to get everyday tasks done.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
I’m closing in on the wall, ten meters to go, and when my hands slam into it and Coach jumps up, thrusting his fist in the air, I know I’ve done it.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
“We secure critical inputs when we have visibility into customer demand and when doing so enables long-term productive capacity,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
What has McInnes been doing with his expensively-assembled team.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
But doing so will likely require taking on China, the main buyer of Iranian oil -- a difficult task ahead of Trump's expected September summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
“I enjoyed doing Eeyore because he was simply charming,” Cullen said to NPR.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
She walks right up to him and says, “Ell! What are you doing here?”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
