do for
Britishverb
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(tr) to convict of a crime or offence
they did him for manslaughter
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(intr) to cause the ruin, death, or defeat of
the last punch did for him
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(intr) to do housework for
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to thrive or succeed
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Bring about the death, defeat, or ruin of, as in He swore he'd do for him . This usage is often put in the passive voice (see done for ). [First half of 1700s]
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Care or provide for, take care of, as in They decided to hire a housekeeper to do for Grandmother . This usage today is more common in Britain than in America. [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.
This is something you can absolutely do for yourself.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Engineers and investors are piling into world models, aka “large action models,” to do for robotics what ChatGPT did for writing and coding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
It doesn’t seem like a good, logical thing to do for either one of them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
"We know what to do for frost or hail, but not wildfires," she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Nice to meet you, Ray. I’m Pastor Tuggle. So, what can I do for you two gentlemen?”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
