do
VERB:
1. to perform (an act, duty, role, etc.):
Do nothing until you hear the bell.
2. to accomplish; finish; complete:
He has already done his homework.
3. to put forth; exert:
Do your best; did her best to win the race.
4. to be the cause of (good, harm, credit, etc.); bring about; effect; to cause or produce:
complaints do nothing to help.
5. to render, give, or pay (homage, justice, etc.).
6. to treat or deal with in any way typically with the sense of preparation or with that of care or attention:
to do the dishes; you should do the garden now; was doing the kitchen; did the dishes after supper.
7. to deal with, fix, clean, wash, set, arrange, put in order, move, decorate, furnish, etc., (anything) as the case may require:
had her hair done; did the living room in Early American; do over the kitchen.
8. to make, prepare, or provide; serve:
I'll do the salad; this restaurant doesn't do lunch on Sundays.
9. to create, form, or bring into being; to bring into existence; produce:
She does wonderful oil portraits; do a biography on; the general has done some beautiful landscapes.
10. to study or work at or in the field of; to work at, esp as a course of study or a profession:
he is doing chemistry; what do you do for a living?
11. to be engaged in the study or practice of; especially, to work at as a vocation:
I have to do my math tonight; do science; what to do after college.
12. to proceed:
to do wisely.
13. to perform, complete or execute (a deed, action, a piece or amount of work):
to do a portrait; the work is done; do some work; did his duty; do another's wishes; trying to do good; do violence; to do a hauling job.
14. to bring to pass; carry out; bring about, effect:
it is my earnest desire to know the will of Providence … and if I can learn what it is I will do it. — Abraham Lincoln.
15. to treat with respect to physical comforts:
did themselves well.
16. to be active or busy:
let us then be up and doing. — H. W. Longfellow.
17. to find an answer to (a problem or puzzle).
18. to give or render:
your portrait doesn't do you justice; do me a favor.
19. to give freely; pay:
do honor to her memory.
20. to partake of:
Let's do lunch.
21. to improve (esp in the phrase "do something to" or "for").
22. to make tidy, elegant, ready, etc, as by arranging or adorning:
to do one's hair.
Examples:
We should do something special to celebrate your birthday; This crime was done deliberately. —Merriam-Webster.
of faring, managing:
1. to fare, get along, or manage; to carry on business or affairs:
do well in school; we can do without your help; how are you doing these days?
2. to be in health, as specified:
Mother and child are doing fine.
of behavior, conduct:
1. to act or conduct oneself; be in action; behave:
do as you please; do as I say.
2. to serve the needs of; be suitable for (a person, situation, etc); suffice:
there isn't much food, but it'll do for the two of us.
of serving, sufficing:
1. to serve; suffice for:
This will do us for the present.
2. to serve or be satisfactory, as for the purpose; be enough; suffice:
Will this do?
3. to serve the needs of; suit, suffice:
worms will do us for bait.
4. to be adequate or sufficient; serve:
half of that will do.
of an end, or of finishing:
1. to come to or make an end; finish —used in the past participle:
he had done with speech for that evening and gave us no reply. — Arnold Bennett.
2. to bring to an end; finish —used in the past participle:
the job is finally done.
3. to finish or be finished.
of a meal or food:
1. to partake in (a meal):
let's do lunch.
2. to prepare for use or consumption especially; cook:
like my steak done rare.
of grammar:
1. (used in interrogative, negative, and inverted constructions):
Do you like music? I don't care. Seldom do we witness such catastrophes.
2. (used to lend emphasis to a principal verb):
Do visit us!
3. (takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary before the subject of an interrogative sentence as a way of forming a question:
do you agree?; when did John go out?
4. (takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary to intensify positive statements and commands:
I do like your new house; do hurry!
5. (takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary before a negative adverb to form negative statements or command:
she does not like cheese; do not leave me here alone!
6. (takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary in inverted constructions:
little did he realize that; only rarely does he come in before ten o'clock.
7. used with the infinitive without to to form present and past tenses in legal and parliamentary language:
do hereby bequeath;
and in poetry:
give what she did crave. — Shakespeare.
8. used with the infinitive without to to form present and past tenses in declarative sentences with inverted word order:
fervently do we pray. —Abraham Lincoln
in interrogative sentences:
did you hear that?
and in negative sentences:
we don't know; don't go.
9. used with the infinitive without to to form present and past tenses expressing emphasis:
I do say; do be careful.
to avoid repetition (more grammar):
1. (used with a pronoun, as it or that, or with a general noun, as thing, that refers to a previously mentioned action):
You were supposed to write thank-you letters; do it before tomorrow, please.
2. (used as a substitute to avoid repetition of a verb or full verb expression):
I think as you do.
3. used as an auxiliary to replace an earlier verb or verb phrase to avoid repetition:
he likes you as much as I do.
4. —used as a substitute verb especially to avoid repetition:
if you must make such a racket, do it somewhere else.
5. —used as a substitute verb to avoid repetition:
wanted to run and play as children do.
of language:
1. to translate into or change the form or language of:
MGM did the book into a movie.
2. to translate or adapt the form or language of:
the book was done into a play.
of travel:
1. to travel; traverse:
We did 30 miles today.
2. to travel at the rate of (a specified speed):
He was doing 80 when they arrested him.
3. to explore or travel through as a sightseer:
They did Greece in three weeks.
4. to travel at a specified speed, esp as a maximum:
this car will do 120 mph.
5. to travel or traverse (a distance):
we did 15 miles on our walk.
of a play:
1. to perform (a play, etc); act:
they are doing "Hamlet'' next week.
2. to play the role or character of:
He did Hamlet on Broadway.
of prison:
1. to serve (a term of time) in prison, or, sometimes, in office.
2. "do time," Informal. to serve a term in prison:
It's hard to get a decent job once you've done time.
3. to spend (time) in prison:
has been doing time in a federal penitentiary.
4. to serve out (a period of imprisonment):
did ten years for armed robbery.
of propriety:
1. to condone or approve, esp as by custom, propriety, or practice:
That sort of thing simply isn't done; you oughtn't to say a thing like that … it's not done. — Dorothy Sayers.
2. to be fitting; conform to custom or propriety:
won't do to be late.
of crime:
commit:
crimes done deliberately.
of drugs:
use:
doesn't do drugs.
(use, meaning to consume or take (liquor, drugs, etc.) regularly.)
Origin:
before 900; Middle English, Old English dōn; cognate with Dutch doen, German tun; akin to Latin -dere to put, facere to make, do, Greek tithénai to set, put, Sanskrit dadhāti (he) puts. Dictionary 2: Old English dōn; related to Old Frisian duān, Old High German tuon, Latin abdere to put away, Greek tithenai to place; see deed, doom. —Dictionary.com. //
History and Etymology: Verb and Noun: Middle English don, from Old English dōn; akin to Old High German tuon to do, Latin -dere to put, facere to make, do, Greek tithenai to place, set. —Merriam-Webster.
Sources: 1, 2.
1. to perform (an act, duty, role, etc.):
Do nothing until you hear the bell.
2. to accomplish; finish; complete:
He has already done his homework.
3. to put forth; exert:
Do your best; did her best to win the race.
4. to be the cause of (good, harm, credit, etc.); bring about; effect; to cause or produce:
complaints do nothing to help.
5. to render, give, or pay (homage, justice, etc.).
6. to treat or deal with in any way typically with the sense of preparation or with that of care or attention:
to do the dishes; you should do the garden now; was doing the kitchen; did the dishes after supper.
7. to deal with, fix, clean, wash, set, arrange, put in order, move, decorate, furnish, etc., (anything) as the case may require:
had her hair done; did the living room in Early American; do over the kitchen.
8. to make, prepare, or provide; serve:
I'll do the salad; this restaurant doesn't do lunch on Sundays.
9. to create, form, or bring into being; to bring into existence; produce:
She does wonderful oil portraits; do a biography on; the general has done some beautiful landscapes.
10. to study or work at or in the field of; to work at, esp as a course of study or a profession:
he is doing chemistry; what do you do for a living?
11. to be engaged in the study or practice of; especially, to work at as a vocation:
I have to do my math tonight; do science; what to do after college.
12. to proceed:
to do wisely.
13. to perform, complete or execute (a deed, action, a piece or amount of work):
to do a portrait; the work is done; do some work; did his duty; do another's wishes; trying to do good; do violence; to do a hauling job.
14. to bring to pass; carry out; bring about, effect:
it is my earnest desire to know the will of Providence … and if I can learn what it is I will do it. — Abraham Lincoln.
15. to treat with respect to physical comforts:
did themselves well.
16. to be active or busy:
let us then be up and doing. — H. W. Longfellow.
17. to find an answer to (a problem or puzzle).
18. to give or render:
your portrait doesn't do you justice; do me a favor.
19. to give freely; pay:
do honor to her memory.
20. to partake of:
Let's do lunch.
21. to improve (esp in the phrase "do something to" or "for").
22. to make tidy, elegant, ready, etc, as by arranging or adorning:
to do one's hair.
Examples:
We should do something special to celebrate your birthday; This crime was done deliberately. —Merriam-Webster.
of faring, managing:
1. to fare, get along, or manage; to carry on business or affairs:
do well in school; we can do without your help; how are you doing these days?
2. to be in health, as specified:
Mother and child are doing fine.
of behavior, conduct:
1. to act or conduct oneself; be in action; behave:
do as you please; do as I say.
2. to serve the needs of; be suitable for (a person, situation, etc); suffice:
there isn't much food, but it'll do for the two of us.
of serving, sufficing:
1. to serve; suffice for:
This will do us for the present.
2. to serve or be satisfactory, as for the purpose; be enough; suffice:
Will this do?
3. to serve the needs of; suit, suffice:
worms will do us for bait.
4. to be adequate or sufficient; serve:
half of that will do.
of an end, or of finishing:
1. to come to or make an end; finish —used in the past participle:
he had done with speech for that evening and gave us no reply. — Arnold Bennett.
2. to bring to an end; finish —used in the past participle:
the job is finally done.
3. to finish or be finished.
of a meal or food:
1. to partake in (a meal):
let's do lunch.
2. to prepare for use or consumption especially; cook:
like my steak done rare.
of grammar:
1. (used in interrogative, negative, and inverted constructions):
Do you like music? I don't care. Seldom do we witness such catastrophes.
2. (used to lend emphasis to a principal verb):
Do visit us!
3. (takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary before the subject of an interrogative sentence as a way of forming a question:
do you agree?; when did John go out?
4. (takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary to intensify positive statements and commands:
I do like your new house; do hurry!
5. (takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary before a negative adverb to form negative statements or command:
she does not like cheese; do not leave me here alone!
6. (takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary in inverted constructions:
little did he realize that; only rarely does he come in before ten o'clock.
7. used with the infinitive without to to form present and past tenses in legal and parliamentary language:
do hereby bequeath;
and in poetry:
give what she did crave. — Shakespeare.
8. used with the infinitive without to to form present and past tenses in declarative sentences with inverted word order:
fervently do we pray. —Abraham Lincoln
in interrogative sentences:
did you hear that?
and in negative sentences:
we don't know; don't go.
9. used with the infinitive without to to form present and past tenses expressing emphasis:
I do say; do be careful.
to avoid repetition (more grammar):
1. (used with a pronoun, as it or that, or with a general noun, as thing, that refers to a previously mentioned action):
You were supposed to write thank-you letters; do it before tomorrow, please.
2. (used as a substitute to avoid repetition of a verb or full verb expression):
I think as you do.
3. used as an auxiliary to replace an earlier verb or verb phrase to avoid repetition:
he likes you as much as I do.
4. —used as a substitute verb especially to avoid repetition:
if you must make such a racket, do it somewhere else.
5. —used as a substitute verb to avoid repetition:
wanted to run and play as children do.
of language:
1. to translate into or change the form or language of:
MGM did the book into a movie.
2. to translate or adapt the form or language of:
the book was done into a play.
of travel:
1. to travel; traverse:
We did 30 miles today.
2. to travel at the rate of (a specified speed):
He was doing 80 when they arrested him.
3. to explore or travel through as a sightseer:
They did Greece in three weeks.
4. to travel at a specified speed, esp as a maximum:
this car will do 120 mph.
5. to travel or traverse (a distance):
we did 15 miles on our walk.
of a play:
1. to perform (a play, etc); act:
they are doing "Hamlet'' next week.
2. to play the role or character of:
He did Hamlet on Broadway.
of prison:
1. to serve (a term of time) in prison, or, sometimes, in office.
2. "do time," Informal. to serve a term in prison:
It's hard to get a decent job once you've done time.
3. to spend (time) in prison:
has been doing time in a federal penitentiary.
4. to serve out (a period of imprisonment):
did ten years for armed robbery.
of propriety:
1. to condone or approve, esp as by custom, propriety, or practice:
That sort of thing simply isn't done; you oughtn't to say a thing like that … it's not done. — Dorothy Sayers.
2. to be fitting; conform to custom or propriety:
won't do to be late.
of crime:
commit:
crimes done deliberately.
of drugs:
use:
doesn't do drugs.
(use, meaning to consume or take (liquor, drugs, etc.) regularly.)
Origin:
before 900; Middle English, Old English dōn; cognate with Dutch doen, German tun; akin to Latin -dere to put, facere to make, do, Greek tithénai to set, put, Sanskrit dadhāti (he) puts. Dictionary 2: Old English dōn; related to Old Frisian duān, Old High German tuon, Latin abdere to put away, Greek tithenai to place; see deed, doom. —Dictionary.com. //
History and Etymology: Verb and Noun: Middle English don, from Old English dōn; akin to Old High German tuon to do, Latin -dere to put, facere to make, do, Greek tithenai to place, set. —Merriam-Webster.
Sources: 1, 2.