Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

make-do

American  
[meyk-doo] / ˈmeɪkˌdu /

noun

plural

make-dos

  1. 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

  1. used as a substitute; makeshift.

    make-do curtains.
make do Idioms  

  1. Get along with the means available, especially insufficient means. For example, We'll just have to make do with one potato apiece. [c. 1900]

Etymology

Origin of make-do

First recorded in 1890–95

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.