can do with

Idioms  

1. Also, could do with. Might profit from, needs, as in This room can do with a good cleaning, or Harry could do with a new suit. [Colloquial; late 1700s] Also see do with.

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Example Sentences

“I can tell you right now that’s not something that we can do with our current operating budget.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

She advises thinking about the small things such as eye contact or touch that you can do with the time you have in the day together to make you feel like a couple again.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

“To them, it’s like, ‘Now I have the keys to a brand-new car, let me see what I can do with it and how I can work it in with what I’ve been doing.’”

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

They are saying, “I can do with my hair an inch longer,” said Larkins.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

At the salon, my stylist, Mari, has tight brown curls that dance around her face, and her voice gets all high-pitched and excited as she talks about what she can do with my hair.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison