done
Americanauxiliary verb
adjective
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completed; finished; through.
Our work is done.
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cooked sufficiently.
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worn out; exhausted; used up.
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in conformity with fashion, good taste, or propriety; acceptable.
It isn't done.
idioms
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be / have done with, to break off relations or connections with; stop.
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done for,
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tired; exhausted.
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deprived of one's means, position, etc.
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dead or close to death.
-
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done in, very tired; exhausted.
He was really done in after a close race.
verb
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the past participle of do 1
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to end relations with
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to be completely finished
have you done?
-
-
an exclamation of frustration when something is ruined
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an exclamation when something is completed
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interjection
adjective
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completed; finished
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cooked enough
done to a turn
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used up
they had to surrender when the ammunition was done
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socially proper or acceptable
that isn't done in higher circles
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informal cheated; tricked
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informal
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dead or almost dead
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in serious difficulty
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informal physically exhausted
Usage
In the adjectival sense “completed, finished, through,” done dates from the 14th century and is entirely standard: Is your portrait done yet?
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of done
First recorded before 900, for the adjective
Explanation
Something that's done is finished, through, or over — it's no longer happening. If your final research paper is done, you've completed it. You might announce at your high school graduation that you're done with school, or listen to your sister practicing the drums and hope she'll be done before bedtime. When food is described as done it means "ready to eat" or "thoroughly cooked." Many Thanksgiving feasts have to wait until the turkey is done. If you're "done for" in a video game, you're just about to die — your fate is sealed.
Vocabulary lists containing done
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.
Polymarket also has been trying to fix other problems stemming from the minimal testing it had done before rolling out new features.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
But he argues that something needs to be done about the country’s inequality crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
He added that he hoped he had "done some good and laid some foundations for others to build on".
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“What we’ve done is build the trust, logistics, data and technology that allow that behavior to become a mainstream way millions of people shop.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
I thought I had done something to make the pitcher want to fall over.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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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.