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• make-do
  make-do

  noun

  something that serves as a substitute, especially of an inferior or expedient nature.
• make do
  make do

  Get along with the means available, especially insufficient means. For example, We'll just have to make do with one potato apiece. [c. 1900]

make-do

American  

[meyk-doo] / ˈmeɪkˌdu /

noun

make-dos plural

1. something that serves as a substitute, especially of an inferior or expedient nature.

   We had to get along with make-dos during the war.

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adjective

1. used as a substitute; makeshift.

   make-do curtains.

make do Idioms  

1. Get along with the means available, especially insufficient means. For example, We'll just have to make do with one potato apiece. [c. 1900]

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• make-dos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of make-do

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

make-do make do make-dos

Instead, Ukrainians are showing the resilience and make-do attitude that have frustrated Moscow’s efforts to pummel them into submission.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026

The fans will have to make-do with a short written statement.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026

“Full Time” is canny enough to understand that many people’s make-do existences are ready-made for compassionate thriller-ization.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2023

A flick of a match, and the make-do candle is lit.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 29, 2023

“Your make-do is better than the Ritz,” I said, helping myself to some more chicken and dumplings.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

In Denver, some neighborhoods make do with narrow strips of concrete—really just widened curbs—that are mysteriously known as “Hollywood sidewalks.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

The combination of high prices and slower wage growth means Americans have to make do with less, at least until inflation begins to recede again.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026

The Angels’ offense, finishing with four hits, found a way to make do without solely relying on the long ball.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026

At first the curator at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago had to make do with photos of the animal.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

She has to make do with a single mile, and I can almost hear her chiding me for it.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan

Between those two poles lies the observation that popular collar stay make-dos include paper clips, strips of business cards, and—hat tip to Heloise—wood coffee stirrers.

From Slate ● Mar. 12, 2014

Related Words

• brief
• interim
• limited
• makeshift
• momentary
• provisional
• short-lived
• transitory