do in
Britishverb
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to murder or kill
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to exhaust
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Tire out, exhaust, as in Running errands all day did me in . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s] Also see done in .
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Kill, as in Mystery writers are always thinking of new ways to do their characters in . [ Slang ; early 1900s] Also see def. 4.
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Ruin utterly; also cheat or swindle. For example, The five-alarm fire did in the whole block , or His so-called friend really did him in . [First half of 1900s]
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do oneself in . Commit suicide, as in She was always threatening to do herself in . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]
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.
Sources stress that if Liverpool bring in Bradley Barcola, who Paris St-Germain value in excess of £100m, then there will be limitations to what more they can do in the market.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“We can do certain things in the air in L.A., on tour, with swinging and pyrotechnics, and there’s certain elements we can’t do in London because it moves from the stage,” he continued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do, but we won’t be writing our own laws to that end,” Mr. Mamdani said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
“One of the most radical things you can do in a moment of extreme fear and a moment of authoritarianism,” he told The Advocate, “is to experience joy and happiness.”
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
We see better in the dark than you do in daylight.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
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.
