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.
“The punk rock ethos of Dadaism really resonates with me — breaking down the barriers of something in order to find the real essence of it. That’s what we’re trying to do in class.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
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
“The whole league should know who I am, what I do in the box, and they should be aware of it,” Caballero said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 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
Sherman sent soldiers to guard the jail and protect the shooter from the angry crowd, just as Guiteau asked the general to do in his undelivered note.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
