do in
Britishverb
-
to murder or kill
-
to exhaust
-
Tire out, exhaust, as in Running errands all day did me in . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s] Also see done in .
-
Kill, as in Mystery writers are always thinking of new ways to do their characters in . [ Slang ; early 1900s] Also see def. 4.
-
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]
-
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.
Are there fun things to do in the area all year long?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
“They are trying to do good in a fallen world and realize the most they can do is less harm than someone else would do in that same role,” he explained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
“There were budget implications to doing that, so we really did all the things that are viable to do in this legislative session,” Zbur said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
"Frequently, we know a little more about this in people than we do in dogs," Creevy said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
It’s incredibly difficult to say how much damage a radioactive isotope will do in the human body.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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.
