do one's best

Idioms and Phrases

Also, do one's level best or one's damnedest . Perform as well as one can, do the utmost possible, as in I'm doing my best to balance this statement , or She did her level best to pass the course , or He did his damnedest to get done in time . The first term dates from the 16th century, but the addition of level , here meaning “very,” occurred only in the mid-1800s; the variant dates from the late 1800s.

Example Sentences

Johnny’s tentative dip into family life artfully captures the tedium, terror and confounding ecstasy of parenthood, but it more eloquently conveys the pain and discovery involved in simply trying to do one’s best.

From Washington Post

“Thank you for your trust, I will try to be worth it. Life cannot be planned in advance and it must be taken as it is. Every situation has to be faced and one has to do one’s best regardless of the circumstances,” Marin said.

From Washington Times

“In practice, to be an anarchist is to dream of a kinder, more equitable society, and to do one’s best to get us closer to making that dream a reality. For every minute of protest footage showing anarchists out in the streets, there are untold hours spent attending endless meetings… cooking and delivering food and supplies to those who need it, researching far-right groups, planning demonstrations, providing child care and other support to comrades, and taking part in other communally minded projects,” Kelly added.

From Fox News

Liquidating an American icon is something one should do one’s best to avoid.”

From Los Angeles Times

While it’s natural that an England manager might tend towards conservatism, to do one’s best to avoid being the guy who failed to even qualify, you hope that Southgate might continue with a little experimentation against Lithuania.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• aspire
• bid for
• strive
• take pains
• undertake