I. ˈdü verb
( did ˈdid, dəd ; done ˈdən ; do·ing ˈdü-iŋ ; does ˈdəz)
Etymology: 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
Date: before 12th century
transitive verb
1. : to bring to pass : carry out
do another's wishes
2. : put — used chiefly in do to death
3.
a. : perform , execute
do some work
did his duty
b. : commit
crimes done deliberately
4.
a. : bring about , effect
trying to do good
do violence
b. : to give freely : pay
do honor to her memory
5. : to bring to an end : finish — used in the past participle
the job is finally done
6. : to put forth : exert
did her best to win the race
7.
a. : to wear out especially by physical exertion : exhaust
at the end of the race they were pretty well done
b. : to attack physically : beat ; also : kill
8. : to bring into existence : produce
do a biography on the general
9. — used as a substitute verb especially to avoid repetition
if you must make such a racket, do it somewhere else
10.
a. : to play the role or character of
b. : mimic ; also : to behave like
do a Houdini and disappear
c. : to perform in or serve as producer of
do a play
11. : to treat unfairly ; especially : cheat
did him out of his inheritance
12. : to treat or deal with in any way typically with the sense of preparation or with that of care or attention:
a.
(1) : to put in order : clean
was do ing the kitchen
(2) : wash
did the dishes after supper
b. : to prepare for use or consumption ; especially : cook
like my steak done rare
c. : set , arrange
had her hair done
d. : to apply cosmetics to
wanted to do her face before the party
e. : decorate , furnish
did the living room in Early American
do over the kitchen
13. : to be engaged in the study or practice of
do science
especially : to work at as a vocation
what to do after college
14.
a. : to pass over (as distance) : traverse
did 20 miles yesterday
b. : to travel at a speed of
do ing 55 on the turnpike
15. : tour
do ing 12 countries in 30 days
16.
a. : to spend (time) in prison
has been do ing time in a federal penitentiary
b. : to serve out (a period of imprisonment)
did ten years for armed robbery
17. : to serve the needs of : suit , suffice
worms will do us for bait
18. : to approve especially by custom, opinion, or propriety
you oughtn't to say a thing like that…it's not done — Dorothy Sayers
19. : to treat with respect to physical comforts
did themselves well
20. : use 3
doesn't do drugs
21. : to have sexual intercourse with
22. : to partake of
let's do lunch
intransitive verb
1. : act , behave
do as I say
2.
a. : get along , fare
do well in school
b. : to carry on business or affairs : manage
we can do without your help
3. : to take place : happen
what's do ing across the street
4. : to come to or make an end : finish — used in the past participle
5. : to be active or busy
let us then be up and do ing — H. W. Longfellow
6. : to be adequate or sufficient : serve
half of that will do
7. : to be fitting : conform to custom or propriety
won't do to be late
8. — used as a substitute verb to avoid repetition
wanted to run and play as children do
— used especially in British English following a modal auxiliary or perfective have
a great many people had died, or would do — Bruce Chatwin
9. — used in the imperative after an imperative to add emphasis
be quiet do
verbal auxiliary
1.
a. — 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
b. — 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
2. — used with the infinitive without to to form present and past tenses expressing emphasis
I do say
do be careful
• do·able ˈdü-ə-bəl adjective
•
- do a number on
- do away with
- do by
- do for
- do it
- do justice
- do proud
- do the trick
- do with
- to do
II. ˈdü noun
( plural dos or do's ˈdüz)
Date: 1599
1. chiefly dialect : fuss , ado
2. archaic : deed , duty
3.
a. : a festive get-together : affair , party
b. chiefly British : battle
4. : a command or entreaty to do something
a list of do s and don'ts
5. British : cheat , swindle
6. : hairdo
III. ˈdō noun
Etymology: Italian
Date: circa 1754
: the first tone of the diatonic scale in solmization
IV. abbreviation
1. ditto
2. double occupancy