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do time

Idioms

Serve a prison sentence, as in Many of the gang members did time while they were still teenagers. This expression originated as underworld slang and is now standard usage. [c. 1860]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s something life has evolved to do time and again.

From Slate • Aug. 13, 2024

The deal included a 23-month jail sentence but in Spain, convicts do not usually do time for sentences under two years.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2024

Lewis Jr. said his father deserved to do time but he paid his debt by spending more years behind bars than someone would if they were arrested for the same crime today.

From Washington Post • Mar. 20, 2023

"What we found were good changes in gene expression in these individuals which now gives us some idea what to expect when people with obesity do time restricted eating."

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2023

I kept looking around for any of the agents, and also for a place to dig a hole, a place that wouldn't be bothered if I had to do time.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023