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make-do

[ meyk-doo ]
/ ˈmeɪkˌdu /
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See synonyms for: make-do / make-dos on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural make-dos.
something that serves as a substitute, especially of an inferior or expedient nature: We had to get along with make-dos during the war.
adjective
used as a substitute; makeshift: make-do curtains.
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Origin of make-do

First recorded in 1890–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use make-do in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with 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]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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