v. & n.
—v. (3rd sing. present does; past did; past part. done)
1 tr. perform, carry out, achieve, complete (work etc.) (did his homework; there's a lot to do; he can do anything).
2 tr. a produce, make (she was doing a painting; I did a translation; decided to do a casserole). b provide (do you do lunches?).
3 tr. bestow, grant; have a specified effect on (a walk would do you good; do me a favour).
4 intr. act, behave, proceed (do as I do; she would do well to accept the offer).
5 tr. work at, study; be occupied with (what does your father do?; he did chemistry at university; we're doing Chaucer next term).
6 a intr. be suitable or acceptable; suffice (this dress won't do for a wedding; a sandwich will do until we get home; that will never do). b tr. satisfy; be suitable for (that hotel will do me nicely).
7 tr. deal with; put in order (the garden needs doing; the barber will do you next; I must do my hair before we go).
8 intr. a fare; get on (the patients were doing excellently; he did badly in the test). b perform, work (could do better).
9 tr. a solve; work out (we did the puzzle). b (prec. by can or be able to) be competent at (can you do cartwheels?; I never could do maths).
10 tr. a traverse (a certain distance) (we did fifty miles today). b travel at a specified speed (he overtook us doing about eighty).
11 tr. colloq. a act or behave like (did a Houdini). b play the part of (she was asked to do hostess).
12 intr. a colloq. finish (have you done annoying me?; I've done in the bathroom). b (as done adj.) be over (the day is done).
13 tr. produce or give a performance of (the school does many plays and concerts; we've never done 'Pygmalion').
14 tr. cook, esp. to the right degree (do it in the oven; the potatoes aren't done yet).
15 intr. be in progress (what's doing?).
16 tr. colloq. visit; see the sights of (we did all the art galleries).
17 tr. colloq. a (often as done adj.) exhaust; tire out (the climb has completely done me). b beat up, defeat, kill. c ruin (now you've done it).
18 tr. (foll. by into) translate or transform (the book was done into French).
19 tr. colloq. (with qualifying adverb) provide food etc. for in a specified way (they do one very well here).
20 tr. sl. a rob (they did a shop in Soho). b swindle (I was done at the market).
21 tr. sl. prosecute, convict (they were done for shoplifting).
22 tr. sl. undergo (a specified term of imprisonment) (he did two years for fraud).
23 tr. coarse sl. have sexual intercourse with.
24 tr. sl. take (a drug).
—v.aux.
1 a (except with be, can, may, ought, shall, will) in questions and negative statements (do you understand?; I don't smoke). b (except with can, may, ought, shall, will) in negative commands (don't be silly; do not come tomorrow).
2 ellipt. or in place of verb or verb and object (you know her better than I do; I wanted to go and I did so; tell me, do!).
3 forming emphatic present and past tenses (I do want to; do tell me; they did go but she was out).
4 in inversion for emphasis (rarely does it happen; did he but know it).
—n. (pl. dos or do's)
1 colloq. an elaborate event, party, or operation.
2 Brit. sl. a swindle or hoax.
Phrases and idioms:
be done with see DONE. be nothing to do with
1 be no business or concern of (his financial situation is nothing to do with me).
2 be unconnected with (his depression is nothing to do with his father's death). be to do with be concerned or connected with (the argument was to do with money). do about see ABOUT prep. 1d.
do away with colloq.
1 abolish.
2 kill. do battle enter into combat. do one's best see BEST. do one's bit see BIT. do by treat or deal with in a specified way (do as you would be done by). do credit to see CREDIT.
do down colloq.
1 cheat, swindle.
2 get the better of; overcome.
do for
1 be satisfactory or sufficient for.
2 colloq. (esp. as done for adj.) destroy, ruin, kill (he knew he was done for).
3 colloq. act as housekeeper for. do one's head (or nut) sl. be extremely angry or agitated. do the honours see HONOUR.
do in
1 sl. a kill. b ruin, do injury to.
2 colloq. exhaust, tire out. do-it-yourself adj. (of work, esp. building, painting, decorating, etc.) done or to be done by an amateur at home.
—n. such work. do justice to see JUSTICE. do nothing for (or to) colloq. detract from the appearance or quality of (such behaviour does nothing for our reputation). do or die persist regardless of danger. do out colloq. clean or redecorate (a room). do a person out of colloq. unjustly deprive a person of; swindle out of (he was done out of his holiday). do over 1 sl. attack; beat up.
2 colloq. redecorate, refurbish.
3 US colloq. do again. do proud see PROUD. dos and don'ts rules of behaviour. do something for (or to) colloq. enhance the appearance or quality of (that carpet does something for the room). do one's stuff see STUFF. do to (archaic unto) = do by. do to death see DEATH. do the trick see TRICK.
do up
1 fasten, secure.
2 colloq. a refurbish, renovate. b adorn, dress up.
3 sl. a ruin, get the better of. b beat up. do well for oneself prosper. do well out of profit by. do with (prec. by could) would be glad to have; would profit by (I could do with a rest; you could do with a wash). do without manage without; forgo (also absol. : we shall just have to do without).
have nothing to do with
1 have no connection or dealings with (our problem has nothing to do with the latest news; after the disagreement he had nothing to do with his father).
2 be no business or concern of (the decision has nothing to do with him). have to do (or something to do) with be connected with (his limp has to do with a car accident).
Etymology: OE don f. Gmc: rel. to Skr daacutedhami put, Gk tithemi place, L facere do
2.
var. of DOH.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.