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View synonyms for do

do

1

[ doo; unstressed doo, duh ]

verb (used with object)

2nd: do or (Archaic) doest or dostpast plural: did3rd: does or (Archaic) doeth or dothpresent participle: doing2nd: did or (Archaic) didstpast participle: donepast singular 1st person: did3rd: didpresent singular 1st person: dopresent plural: do
  1. to perform (an act, duty, role, etc.):

    Do nothing until you hear the bell.

    Synonyms: act

  2. to execute (a piece or amount of work):

    to do a hauling job.

  3. to accomplish; finish; complete:

    He has already done his homework.

  4. to put forth; exert:

    Do your best.

  5. to be the cause of (good, harm, credit, etc.); bring about; effect.
  6. to render, give, or pay (homage, justice, etc.).
  7. to deal with, fix, clean, arrange, move, etc., (anything) as the case may require:

    to do the dishes.

  8. to travel; traverse:

    We did 30 miles today.

  9. to serve; suffice for:

    This will do us for the present.

  10. to condone or approve, as by custom or practice:

    That sort of thing simply isn't done.

  11. to travel at the rate of (a specified speed):

    He was doing 80 when they arrested him.

  12. to make or prepare:

    I'll do the salad.

  13. to serve (a term of time) in prison, or, sometimes, in office.
  14. to create, form, or bring into being:

    She does wonderful oil portraits.

  15. to translate into or change the form or language of:

    MGM did the book into a movie.

  16. to study or work at or in the field of:

    I have to do my math tonight.

  17. to explore or travel through as a sightseer:

    They did Greece in three weeks.

  18. (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.

  19. Informal. to wear out; exhaust; tire:

    That last set of tennis did me.

  20. Informal. to cheat, trick, or take advantage of:

    That crooked dealer did him for $500 at poker.

  21. Informal. to attend or participate in:

    Let's do lunch next week.

  22. Slang. to use (a drug or drugs), especially habitually:

    The police report said he was doing cocaine.

  23. Slang. to rob; steal from:

    The law got him for doing a lot of banks.

  24. Slang: Vulgar. to have sex with.
  25. 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)

present participle: doing3rd: does or (Archaic) doeth or dothpresent singular 1st person: do2nd: do or (Archaic) doest or dostpast singular 1st person: did3rd: didpast participle: donepast plural: did2nd: did or (Archaic) didstpresent plural: do
  1. to act or conduct oneself; be in action; behave.
  2. to proceed:

    to do wisely.

  3. to get along; fare; manage:

    to do without an automobile.

  4. to be in health, as specified:

    Mother and child are doing fine.

  5. to serve or be satisfactory, as for the purpose; be enough; suffice:

    Will this do?

  6. to finish or be finished.
  7. to happen; take place; transpire:

    What's doing at the office?

  8. (used as a substitute to avoid repetition of a verb or full verb expression):

    I think as you do.

auxiliary verb

3rd: didpast participle: donepresent singular 1st person: dopast plural: didpresent participle: doingpresent plural: do2nd: did or (Archaic) didstpast singular 1st person: did3rd: does or (Archaic) doeth or doth2nd: do or (Archaic) doest or dost
  1. (used in interrogative, negative, and inverted constructions):

    Do you like music? I don't care. Seldom do we witness such catastrophes.

  2. 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.

  3. (used to lend emphasis to a principal verb):

    Do visit us!

noun

, plural dos, do's.
  1. Informal. a burst of frenzied activity; action; commotion.
  2. Informal. a hairdo or hair styling.
  3. British Slang. a swindle; hoax.
  4. Informal. a festive social gathering; party.

verb phrase

    1. to forgo; dispense with.
    2. to dispense with the thing mentioned:

      The store doesn't have any, so you'll have to do without.

  1. Informal.
    1. to kill, especially to murder.
    2. to injure gravely or exhaust; wear out; ruin:

      The tropical climate did them in.

    3. to cheat or swindle:

      He was done in by an unscrupulous broker.

  2. Informal.
    1. to wrap and tie up.
    2. to pin up or arrange (the hair).
    3. to renovate; launder; clean.
    4. to wear out; tire.
    5. to fasten:

      Do up your coat.

    6. to dress:

      The children were all done up in funny costumes.

    1. to cause the defeat, ruin, or death of.
    2. Chiefly British. to cook and keep house for; manage or provide for.
  3. to redecorate.
  4. to gain advantage or benefit from; make use of:

    I could do with more leisure time.

  5. to deal with; treat:

    He had always done well by his family.

do

2

[ doh ]

noun

, Music.
, plural dos.
  1. the syllable used for the first tone or keynote of a diatonic scale.
  2. (in the fixed system of solmization) the tone C. Compare sol-fa ( def 1 ), ut.

do.

3

abbreviation for

  1. ditto.

D/O

4
or d.o.
  1. delivery order.

D.O.

5
or DO

abbreviation for

  1. direct object. Also d.o.
  2. Doctor of Optometry.
  3. Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.

do

1

/ duː; də; dʊ /

verb

  1. to perform or complete (a deed or action)

    to do a portrait

    the work is done

  2. oftenintr; foll by for 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

  3. tr to arrange or fix

    you should do the garden now

  4. tr to prepare or provide; serve

    this restaurant doesn't do lunch on Sundays

  5. tr to make tidy, elegant, ready, etc, as by arranging or adorning

    to do one's hair

  6. tr to improve (esp in the phrase do something to or for )
  7. tr to find an answer to (a problem or puzzle)
  8. tr to translate or adapt the form or language of

    the book was done into a play

  9. intr to conduct oneself

    do as you please

  10. intr to fare or manage

    how are you doing these days?

  11. tr to cause or produce

    complaints do nothing to help

  12. tr to give or render

    do me a favour

    your portrait doesn't do you justice

  13. tr to work at, esp as a course of study or a profession

    he is doing chemistry

    what do you do for a living?

  14. tr to perform (a play, etc); act

    they are doing ``Hamlet'' next week

  15. tr to travel at a specified speed, esp as a maximum

    this car will do 120 mph

  16. tr to travel or traverse (a distance)

    we did 15 miles on our walk

  17. takes an infinitive without to used as an auxiliary before the subject of an interrogative sentence as a way of forming a question

    when did John go out?

    do you agree?

  18. takes an infinitive without to used as an auxiliary to intensify positive statements and commands

    I do like your new house

    do hurry!

  19. takes an infinitive without to used as an auxiliary before a negative adverb to form negative statements or commands

    do not leave me here alone!

    he does not like cheese

  20. 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

  21. used as an auxiliary to replace an earlier verb or verb phrase to avoid repetition

    he likes you as much as I do

  22. informal.
    tr to visit or explore as a sightseer or tourist

    to do Westminster Abbey

  23. tr to wear out; exhaust
  24. intr to happen (esp in the phrase nothing doing )
  25. slang.
    tr to serve (a period of time) as a prison sentence

    he's doing time

    he's doing three years for burglary

  26. informal.
    tr to cheat or swindle
  27. slang.
    tr to rob

    they did three shops last night

  28. slang.
    tr
    1. to arrest
    2. to convict of a crime
  29. informal.
    tr to lose or spend (money) completely
  30. slang.
    tr to treat violently; assault
  31. slang.
    tr to take or use (a drug)
  32. taboo.
    tr (of a male) to have sexual intercourse with
  33. tr to partake in (a meal)

    let's do lunch

  34. do or do a informal.
    to act like; imitate

    he's a good mimic – he can do all his friends well

  35. do or die
    to make a final or supreme effort
  36. how do you do?
    a conventional formula when being introduced
  37. make do
    to manage with whatever is available
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


noun

  1. slang.
    an act or instance of cheating or swindling
  2. informal.
    a formal or festive gathering; party
  3. do's and don'ts informal.
    those things that should or should not be done; rules
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

do

2

/ dəʊ /

noun

  1. a variant spelling of doh 1
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

do

3

the internet domain name for

  1. Dominican Republic
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

do.

4

abbreviation for

  1. ditto
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

D/O

5

abbreviation for

  1. delivery order
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

DO

6

abbreviation for

  1. Doctor of Optometry
  2. Doctor of Osteopathy
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

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; gamut
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Word History and Origins

Origin of do1

Old English dōn; related to Old Frisian duān, Old High German tuon, Latin abdere to put away, Greek tithenai to place; see deed , doom
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. do away with,
    1. to put an end to; abolish.
    2. to kill.
  2. do or die, to make a supreme effort.
  3. do out of, Informal. to swindle; cheat:

    A furniture store did me out of several hundred dollars.

  4. do time, Informal. to serve a term in prison:

    It's hard to get a decent job once you've done time.

  5. dos and don'ts, customs, rules, or regulations:

    The dos and don'ts of polite manners are easy to learn.

  6. 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.

  7. do a number on (someone). number ( def 38 ).
  8. do one proud. proud ( def 11 ).
  9. do one's (own) thing. thing 1( def 22 ).
  10. do one's number. number ( def 39 ).
  11. do to death. death ( def 16 ).
  12. have to do with. have ( def 37 ).
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Synonym Study

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.
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Example Sentences

When they thought about Lewis, what struck the players most was that he never acted like a do-gooder.

First on the to-do list, the profiling exercises to help the Western masses understand the nature of the wretched beast.

If someone wants to dismiss this as do-goodism, fine, but it has real world effects.

Think of it as the Jersey Shore exception, where you can act like a brutish goon and the first bust is essentially a do-over.

She tried the direct, how-do-you-do handshake approach, but was blocked by a burly aide-de-camp.

The ne'er-do-well blew, like seed before the wind, to distant places, but mankind at large stayed at home.

With time this land had mounted to great values and the holders had been made well-to-do thereby.

His parents were of the well-to-do farming class, occupied from one year's end to the other with the work of the fields.

“But it certainly was a great to-do,” murmured Jessie, as she tried to see what the boys were doing.

Widder Morse wants to ape these well-to-do folks that live tother end o Whiffle Street.

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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.

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