do any good

Idioms

Improve a situation or effect a favorable result, as in Tell me if this new medicine does any good. [Early 1700s] A negative version, do no good, is slightly older (late 1600s); for example, All his explanations will do no good.

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.

Putting your foot down won’t do any good, either.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

"All this spending can hardly do any good to the availability of food," he added.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2024

“Sonya Massey – I speak her name and I'll never forget it,” Campbell said, but he explained to community members that his resignation, he believed, wouldn’t do any good.

From Salon • Jul. 31, 2024

“As important as these drugs are, they will not do any good for the millions of patients who cannot afford them,” Sanders wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2024

Not that I’m expecting it to do any good.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

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