do
verb (used with object)
to perform (an act, duty, role, etc.).
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do
1 American
[doo, doo, duh]
/ du, dʊ, də /
verb (used with object)
-
does,
present (3rd person singular)
-
did,
past
-
done,
past participle
-
doing
present participle
-
to perform (an act, duty, role, etc.).
Do nothing until you hear the bell.
- Synonyms:
- act
-
to execute (a piece or amount of work).
to do a hauling job.
-
to accomplish; finish; complete.
He has already done his homework.
-
to put forth; exert.
Do your best.
-
to be the cause of (good, harm, credit, etc.); bring about; effect.
-
to render, give, or pay (homage, justice, etc.).
-
to deal with, fix, clean, arrange, move, etc., (anything) as the case may require.
to do the dishes.
-
to travel; traverse.
We did 30 miles today.
-
to serve; suffice for.
This will do us for the present.
-
to condone or approve, as by custom or practice.
That sort of thing simply isn't done.
-
to travel at the rate of (a specified speed).
He was doing 80 when they arrested him.
-
to make or prepare.
I'll do the salad.
-
to serve (a term of time) in prison, or, sometimes, in office.
-
to create, form, or bring into being.
She does wonderful oil portraits.
-
to translate into or change the form or language of.
MGM did the book into a movie.
-
to study or work at or in the field of.
I have to do my math tonight.
-
to explore or travel through as a sightseer.
They did Greece in three weeks.
-
(used with a pronoun, as it or that, or with a general noun, as thing, that refers to a previously mentioned action).
You were supposed to write thank-you letters; do it before tomorrow, please.
-
Informal. to wear out; exhaust; tire.
That last set of tennis did me.
-
Informal. to cheat, trick, or take advantage of.
That crooked dealer did him for $500 at poker.
-
Informal. to attend or participate in.
Let's do lunch next week.
-
Slang. to use (a drug or drugs), especially habitually.
The police report said he was doing cocaine.
-
Slang. to rob; steal from.
The law got him for doing a lot of banks.
-
Slang: Vulgar. to have sex with.
-
Informal. (usually in the negative) to act in accordance with expectations associated with (something specified).
Just ignore her insults—she doesn’t do polite.
verb (used without object)
-
does,
present (3rd person singular)
-
did,
past
-
done,
past participle
-
doing
present participle
-
to act or conduct oneself; be in action; behave.
-
to proceed.
to do wisely.
-
to get along; fare; manage.
to do without an automobile.
-
to be in health, as specified.
Mother and child are doing fine.
-
to serve or be satisfactory, as for the purpose; be enough; suffice.
Will this do?
-
to finish or be finished.
-
to happen; take place; transpire.
What's doing at the office?
-
(used as a substitute to avoid repetition of a verb or full verb expression).
I think as you do.
auxiliary verb
-
does,
present (3rd person singular)
-
did,
past
-
done,
past participle
-
doing
present participle
-
(used in interrogative, negative, and inverted constructions).
Do you like music? I don't care. Seldom do we witness such catastrophes.
-
Archaic. (used in imperatives with you or thou expressed; and occasionally as a metric filler in verse).
Do thou hasten to the king's side. The wind did blow, the rain did fall.
-
(used to lend emphasis to a principal verb).
Do visit us!
noun
-
dos,
plural
-
do's
plural
-
Informal. a burst of frenzied activity; action; commotion.
-
Informal. a hairdo or hair styling.
-
British Slang. a swindle; hoax.
-
Informal. a festive social gathering; party.
verb phrase
-
do without
-
to forgo; dispense with.
-
to dispense with the thing mentioned.
The store doesn't have any, so you'll have to do without.
-
-
do in
-
to kill, especially to murder.
-
to injure gravely or exhaust; wear out; ruin.
The tropical climate did them in.
-
to cheat or swindle.
He was done in by an unscrupulous broker.
-
-
do up
-
to wrap and tie up.
-
to pin up or arrange (the hair).
-
to renovate; launder; clean.
-
to wear out; tire.
-
to fasten.
Do up your coat.
-
to dress.
The children were all done up in funny costumes.
-
-
do for
-
to cause the defeat, ruin, or death of.
-
Chiefly British. to cook and keep house for; manage or provide for.
-
-
do over to redecorate.
-
do with to gain advantage or benefit from; make use of.
I could do with more leisure time.
-
do by to deal with; treat.
He had always done well by his family.
idioms
-
do time, to serve a term in prison.
It's hard to get a decent job once you've done time.
-
dos and don'ts, customs, rules, or regulations.
The dos and don'ts of polite manners are easy to learn.
-
do one's (own) thing. thing.
-
do a number on (someone). number.
-
have to do with. have.
-
do one's number. number.
-
do away with,
-
to put an end to; abolish.
-
to kill.
-
-
do or die, to make a supreme effort.
-
make do, to get along with what is at hand, despite its inadequacy.
I can't afford a new coat so I have to make do with this one.
-
do one proud. proud.
-
do to death. death.
-
do out of, to swindle; cheat.
A furniture store did me out of several hundred dollars.
do
2
American
[doh]
/ doʊ /
noun
Music.
-
dos
plural
-
the syllable used for the first tone or keynote of a diatonic scale.
-
(in the fixed system of solmization) the tone C.
do.
3
American
abbreviation
D/O
4
American
Or
d.o.
D.O.
5
American
Or
DO
do
1
British
/ duː, də, dʊ /
verb
-
to perform or complete (a deed or action)
to do a portrait
the work is done
-
to serve the needs of; be suitable for (a person, situation, etc); suffice
there isn't much food, but it'll do for the two of us
-
(tr) to arrange or fix
you should do the garden now
-
(tr) to prepare or provide; serve
this restaurant doesn't do lunch on Sundays
-
(tr) to make tidy, elegant, ready, etc, as by arranging or adorning
to do one's hair
-
(tr) to improve (esp in the phrase do something to or for )
-
(tr) to find an answer to (a problem or puzzle)
-
(tr) to translate or adapt the form or language of
the book was done into a play
-
(intr) to conduct oneself
do as you please
-
(intr) to fare or manage
how are you doing these days?
-
(tr) to cause or produce
complaints do nothing to help
-
(tr) to give or render
your portrait doesn't do you justice
do me a favour
-
(tr) to work at, esp as a course of study or a profession
he is doing chemistry
what do you do for a living?
-
(tr) to perform (a play, etc); act
they are doing ``Hamlet'' next week
-
(tr) to travel at a specified speed, esp as a maximum
this car will do 120 mph
-
(tr) to travel or traverse (a distance)
we did 15 miles on our walk
-
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary before the subject of an interrogative sentence as a way of forming a question
do you agree?
when did John go out?
-
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary to intensify positive statements and commands
I do like your new house
do hurry!
-
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary before a negative adverb to form negative statements or commands
he does not like cheese
do not leave me here alone!
-
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary in inverted constructions
little did he realize that
only rarely does he come in before ten o'clock
-
used as an auxiliary to replace an earlier verb or verb phrase to avoid repetition
he likes you as much as I do
-
informal (tr) to visit or explore as a sightseer or tourist
to do Westminster Abbey
-
(tr) to wear out; exhaust
-
(intr) to happen (esp in the phrase nothing doing )
-
slang (tr) to serve (a period of time) as a prison sentence
he's doing three years for burglary
he's doing time
-
informal (tr) to cheat or swindle
-
slang (tr) to rob
they did three shops last night
-
slang (tr)
-
to arrest
-
to convict of a crime
-
-
informal (tr) to lose or spend (money) completely
-
slang (tr) to treat violently; assault
-
slang (tr) to take or use (a drug)
-
taboo (tr) (of a male) to have sexual intercourse with
-
(tr) to partake in (a meal)
let's do lunch
-
informal to act like; imitate
he's a good mimic – he can do all his friends well
-
to make a final or supreme effort
-
a conventional formula when being introduced
-
to manage with whatever is available
noun
-
slang an act or instance of cheating or swindling
-
informal a formal or festive gathering; party
-
informal those things that should or should not be done; rules
DO
2
British
abbreviation
-
Doctor of Optometry
-
Doctor of Osteopathy
D/O
3
British
abbreviation
do
4
British
/ dəʊ /
noun
do
5
British
abbreviation
do.
6
British
abbreviation
Synonym Usage
Do, accomplish, achieve mean to bring some action to a conclusion. Do is the general word: He did a great deal of hard work. Accomplish and achieve both connote successful completion of an undertaking. Accomplish emphasizes attaining a desired goal through effort, skill, and perseverance: to accomplish what one has hoped for. Achieve emphasizes accomplishing something important, excellent, or great: to achieve a major breakthrough.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dosimple
-
doessimple
-
have doneperfect
-
has doneperfect
-
am doingprogressive
-
are doingprogressive
-
is doingprogressive
-
have been doingperfect progressive
-
has been doingperfect progressive
Past
-
didsimple
-
had doneperfect
-
was doingprogressive
-
were doingprogressive
-
had been doingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of do1
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English dōn; cognate with Dutch doen, German tun; akin to Latin -dere “to put,” facere “to make, do,” Greek tithénai “to set, put,” Sanskrit dadhāti “(he) puts”
Origin of do2
First recorded in 1745–55; from Italian, inverted variant of ut; see origin at gamut
Explanation
To do is to act, perform, or undertake. When you do chores, you engage in the activity of cleaning the kitchen or taking out the trash. Do is one of the most frequently used verbs in English. You do many things in a typical day: you might do the dishes, do your job, and later on, do your taxes. If you meet an old-fashioned gentleman, he might say, "How do you do?" essentially meaning, "Hello." After a difficult test, your friend could ask, "How did you do?" You can also do as you please, or just do nothing all day long.
Vocabulary lists containing do
Scrabble: Two-Letter Words
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Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 3
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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.
See Examples For:
Alex Hubben made it a priority, and he was willing to take on a roommate to do it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
"They looked like they wanted the win more. For him to change his tactics, nobody expected him to do that. That is a very, very good manager to pick that out."
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Who is doing the most good when, ostensibly, everyone is trying to do the right thing, acting within their rights as parents or arms of the government?
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
But this time, the friends decided to do things differently.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
I do as he says, and finally, I begin to regain control of my breathing.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
“I went home and I was like, Oh, they’ve already done all the things I want to do. So I just went and sulked for a few days.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
“But we are not looking for people to be pen pals, which seems to be what everybody wants to do. We need real help.”
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
"So we were begging – I'd usually go down and speak to people about what I was trying to do. I explained I wasn't going to tear up their space or anything like that."
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
As former Goldman Sachs commodity strategist Jeff Currie pointed out a month ago, “Nobody on planet earth consumes crude oil. Refineries do. Everyone else consumes gasoline and diesel.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
“I think so. Given that you’re Michelle’s kid and what you’re able to do. I’m also not surprised that she wanted to hide you.”
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
"Robotic-assisted surgery has the potential to change the way surgeons think about revision knee replacement," said Matthew Bullock, D.O., associate professor of orthopaedic surgery and co-author on the study.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2024
“But what keeps me wanting to be a journalist and wanting to do it here is seeing the effect that the D.O. has. It’s really cool and exciting.”
From Washington Times ● Nov. 4, 2019
It’s a “delirious smoothie of cultural influences and tributes, from Kurosawa films to superhero comics to the seminal work of the 1930s Nigerian writer D.O. Fagunwa,” writes critic Laura Miller.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2019
“My son and I jumped back from the window as trees started flying. Glass was shattered. In a moment it was over,” Eastside resident D.O.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2018
The D.O. must see that his Officers possess, and live in, the spirit of The Army.
From The Authoritative Life of General William Booth by George S. (George Scott) Railton
Images of Air Force One parked at the Turkish airport show vehicles labeled with the logo of a catering company called Turkish DO & CO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Watch what we DO, not what we SAY.”
From Barron's ● Dec. 8, 2025
The website can also be used by people to note that they expressly DO wish to be a donor.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2025
"If you look at all the groups that got affected by COVID, older adults got affected the most in two ways," Christopher Scuderi, DO, a Jacksonville primary care physician, tells me.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2023
TO DO: put T-N-T on notice that the Frida Freebies were a wrap.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
Everyone has sartorial do’s and don’ts for work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
On ICYMI, host Kate Lindsay and Slate tech editor Tony Ho Tran break down the digital do’s and don’ts for couples, and argue that the thing that ruined dating might actually be making relationships better.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
Across schools, the bigger fix would be more precision from administrators on AI do’s and don’ts, Anand said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
The DMA is part of the European Union's bolstered legal armoury that seeks to make the digital sphere fairer with a list of do's and don'ts for Big Tech.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
It also indicates plurals of words: What are the do’s and don’t’s?
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
The nearly 20-acre property is located near Angra dos Reis, a coastal region around two hours from Rio de Janeiro.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
The helicopters collided in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, a western suburb of Rio de Janeiro, then plummeted into the parking lot of an electric car dealership, setting ablaze around 20 cars, firefighters said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
The researchers are now testing moringa seed extract on water collected from the Paraíba do Sul River, which supplies São José dos Campos.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 20, 2026
Rio's public safety secretary, Victor dos Santos, told Reuters that the goal of the operation had been to carry out scores of arrest warrants issued by prosecutors.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025
M oments after hanging up the phone with Pattillo, his list of dos and don’ts in my hand, I dialed Deborah’s number, then paced as her phone rang.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Looking at the cauldron of conflicts convulsing the world, the question is ever more pressing as to whether effective action is possible to stop the damage being done or ensure accountability when it does.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Frank McCourt bought the team before the 2004 season and brought in his own people, as a new owner often does.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
That begs the question: How much responsibility does a filmmaker have to take a clear stance in their work, especially in a film that is overtly intended to be a lightning rod for heated debate?
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
“It’s still water. The name of it really doesn’t matter to me. To a lot of people here, it does matter,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
A nagging thought: What time does the bus leave here?
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Some Tottenham fans missed the goal as they headed for their half-time refreshments but several thousand did not bother to stay until the end.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“For a lot of people, they don’t remember that Dodger franchise, because they see today’s. You and I know what it looked like, and it was embarrassing. What he did was ransack the team.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The president did not identify a specific report that prompted the decision.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
“I did, and two old ladies started screaming at me,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
I tell Grandma she was right—I did get a whole new look at that era and what it meant to be there.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
He added that he hoped he had "done some good and laid some foundations for others to build on".
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
I was panic-stricken because that was done in front of an audience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
“I’ve never been so ambitious,” he says, “and I’ve never done a project with as much love in it and as little ego.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
His biggest challenge as leader is approaching, and when all is said and done next year, he desperately needs something to show for it.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Why haven’t you done anything to stop this?”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
The Trojans managed a clunky 12-play opening drive, with King Miller doing most of the heavy lifting, but were forced to settle for a field goal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
"You don't have to have it all in place at 18, everyone is still kind of just pretending they know what they're doing."
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“You can run a dozer. You can run an excavator. You can run a compactor. You have one operator in a more attractive environment doing more productive work.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Attorney’s Office, and the Secret Service, and say ‘No, I’m doing what I want,’” Griffin offered, then so can everyone else.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
A guy and a girl sit squashed next to each other on its bench, laughing as they bang on it, pretending like they know what they’re doing.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
