Do | Mean of do in English Dictionary

/ˈduː/

• Verb
• to perform (an action or activity)
1. We should do something special to celebrate your birthday.
2. This crime was done deliberately.
3. I have to do some chores this afternoon.
4. Tell me what to do and I'll do it.
5. I'm obliged to do my duty.
6. He does his work without complaining.
7. I do the ironing on Wednesdays and the cooking on Thursdays. [=I iron on Wednesdays and cook on Thursdays]
8. I did a favor for him. = I did him a favor.
9. “What do you do with this lever? = What does this lever do?” “It operates the pump.”
10. He did a lot for us.
11. What can I do to help you? = What can I do for you? [=how can/may I help you?]
12. What have I done to you to make you so angry?
13. Have you done something to/with this room? [=have you changed this room in some way?] It looks different.
14. My knee is sore. I must have done something to it [=I must have hurt it] when I fell.
15. Don't just stand there: do something! [=take some sort of action to stop what is happening]
16. We need to do something about this problem. [=we need to take some action to correct this problem]
17. All we can do is hope for the best. [=there is no other action we can take except to hope for the best]
18. I didn't do it! = I didn't do anything! [=I didn't do what you said I did]
19. Are you doing anything right now? [=are you busy right now?]
20. If you're not doing anything this evening [=if you're not busy this evening], why not come over for dinner?
21. “What are you doing this weekend?” “I'm just relaxing at home.”
22. What is the stock market doing now: rising or falling?
23. What have I done with my keys? [=where did I put my keys?]
24. My hair is a mess. I can't do anything with it.
25. There's nothing to do in this town on a Saturday night!
26. Do as I say, not as I do. [=do the things that I say you should do, not the things that I do myself]
27. Shut up and do as you're told! [=do what I tell you to do]
• to finish working on (something)
1. His mother won't let him watch television until he has done his homework.
2. I've only done three of the walls so far—I'll paint the last one tomorrow.
• to create or produce (something)
1. a writer who is doing a new biography on Abraham Lincoln
2. a painter who has done some beautiful landscapes

• to perform in or be the producer or director of (a movie, play, etc.)
1. an actress who has done several hit movies
2. a director who is doing a play on Broadway
• to play (a role or character)
1. an actor who did Hamlet on Broadway
• to pretend to be (someone, such as a famous person)
1. a comedian who does a great George Bush [=a comedian who does a very good and entertaining imitation of George Bush]
• to behave like (someone)
1. I wish he'd do a Houdini and disappear. [=I wish he'd go away]
• to wash or clean (something)
1. It's your turn to do [=wash] the laundry.
2. The woman we hired to clean our house doesn't do windows.
• to decorate (a place)
1. They did the bedroom in blue and the living room in green.
• to make (someone's face, hair, etc.) more attractive by putting on makeup, etc.
1. She wanted to do her face before the party.
2. She had her hair done [=styled] at the beauty parlor.
3. She was doing her fingernails/nails.
• to put on (makeup)
1. It took her a few minutes to do her makeup.
• to cook or prepare (food)
1. I like my steak done rare.
2. I'll do the salad while you do the pasta.
• to make or sell (a product)
1. This is the company's most popular computer, but they also do a less expensive model.
• to participate in (an activity) with other people
1. We should do dinner some time. [=we should have dinner together some time]
2. do a meeting [=have a meeting]
3. We should do a movie [=go to a movie] this weekend.
• to go to (a place) when traveling
1. a group of tourists who are doing [=visiting] 12 countries in 30 days
• to move or travel (a distance)
1. We did [=traveled] 500 miles yesterday.
• to move at (a speed)
1. They were doing [=going, driving] 85 on the turnpike.
2. That plane can do [=go] 1,400 mph!
• to be in a place for (a period of time)
1. He did [=spent] two years in college before he dropped out.
• to be in a prison for (a period of time)
1. He did [=served] five years (in prison) for robbery.
2. He has been doing time in a federal penitentiary.
3. I've done my time at that terrible job, and now it's time to move on.
• to be enough
1. I don't need any more cake, thank you. One piece will do. [=one piece is enough]
2. I'd prefer to use glue, but tape will/would do.
3. (informal) One piece of cake will do me. [=one piece of cake is enough for me]
• to be proper
1. It doesn't do for a doctor to become too friendly with his patients. = It won't/wouldn't do for a doctor to become too friendly with his patients. [=a doctor should not become too friendly with his patients]
2. Such behavior will never do! [=such behavior should not be allowed]
3. We should leave soon. It won't do to be late.
4. This is a formal occasion, so jeans simply won't do. [=jeans are not appropriate]
• to use (illegal drugs)
1. He says that he doesn't do drugs anymore.
• to happen
1. Is there anything doing tomorrow?
2. There is nothing doing around here.
3. Let's find out what's doing downtown.
• to have sex with (someone)
• to kill (someone)
1. She's accused of hiring a hit man to do away with [=murder, do in] her husband.
• to cause the end of (something)
1. The struggling company had to do away with a number of jobs.
• to deal with or treat (someone) well or badly
1. She feels that they did poorly/badly by her. [=that they treated her poorly/badly]
2. They did pretty well by me when I retired. [=they treated me pretty well when I retired]
• to talk about (someone) in an insulting or critical way
1. She thinks that if she does everybody else down, people will think more highly of her.
2. Stop doing yourself down: you've got a lot to offer!
• to cause the death or ruin of (someone)
1. All that hard work nearly did for him. [=nearly killed him]
• to do the cleaning and cooking for (someone)
1. Mrs. Jones does for the vicar now his wife's passed on.
• to cause the failure of (someone)
1. His inability to attract Southern voters is what finally did him in as a presidential candidate. [=he failed because he was unable to attract Southern voters]
2. a businessman who was done in by greed
• to make (someone) very tired
1. Working in the garden all day really did me in. = After working in the garden all day, I was/felt done in. [=exhausted]
• to have sex
1. They've kissed—but have they actually done it?
• to unfairly prevent (someone) from getting or having (something)
1. I've been done out of what was rightfully mine!
2. They did [=cheated] him out of his inheritance.
• to do (something) again
1. I made a mistake when I measured the window and I had to do it over (again).
2. If I had to do it (all) over again, I would have stayed in college.
• to decorate or change a room, house, etc., so that it looks very different
1. We're planning to do over the kitchen next year.
• to attack and beat (someone)
1. He got done over by a gang of teenagers.
• to decorate (something)
1. They did up the room in bright colors for the party. = The room was all done up in bright colors for the party.
• to adjust (something, such as your hair) in a particular way
1. She did up her hair in a ponytail.
• to wrap (something)
1. packages done up [=wrapped up] in paper and ribbon
• to repair (something)
1. do up [=fix up] old furniture
2. do up an old house
• to dress (someone) up
1. She really did herself up for the party. = She was all done up for the party.
• to be fastened or to fasten (something) with buttons, a zipper, etc.
1. a dress that does up at the back = a dress that is done up at the back
2. She did up her dress.
3. buttons that do up easily = buttons that you can do up easily [=buttons that can be easily buttoned]
• to be helped by having (something)
1. I could (really) do with a cup of hot coffee right now! [=I could use a cup of coffee; I would like/appreciate a cup of coffee]
2. I could do with a little less criticism right now, if you don't mind!
• to not have (something)
1. If you can't afford a new car, you'll just have to do without (one).
2. I don't know how we ever did without computers.
3. I'd like to get a new car, but I can do without it for now.
4. I enjoy traveling, but I can do without having to wait around in crowded airports. [=I don't like having to wait around]
5. He was late again. That's the kind of selfish behavior I could do without.
• to relate to (something)
1. The problem has to do with fishing rights. = (chiefly Brit) The problem is to do with fishing rights.
2. “What does her husband do?” “I think it has something to do with computers.” = “I think it's got something to do with computers.” [=it involves computers in some way]
• to relate to or involve (someone)
1. That's your problem: it has nothing to do with me! = (chiefly Brit) It's nothing to do with me! [=it doesn't involve me in any way; it's not my problem]
2. You're wrong. It's got everything to do with you: you're legally responsible for what went wrong.
• to be involved in or in some way responsible for (something)
1. He claims that he had nothing to do with the accident. = He claims that he didn't have anything to do with the accident. [=that he was not involved in the accident]
2. He claims he wasn't involved, but I know he had something to do with it.
• Noun
• something that a person should do
1. She told her daughter about the dos and don'ts of dating. [=about the things that she should and should not do when dating someone]
• a way of cutting and arranging a person's hair
1. She was worried that the wind might mess up her do.
• a party or social gathering
1. We threw a big do for her after graduation.
• the first note of a musical scale
1. do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti