I. (|)dü, _də or +V _dəw verb
( past first & third singular did (|)did, _dəd ; or nonstandard done |dən ; second singular did or nonstandard done or archaic didst (|)di]dzt, _də], ]dst, ]tst ; plural did or nonstandard done past part done present part do·ing |düiŋ ; present first singular do second singular do or archaic do·est |düə̇st ; or archaic dost (|)dəst ; third singular does (|)dəz ; or now chiefly nonstandard do or archaic do·eth ˈdüə̇th ; or archaic doth (|)dəth ; plural do )
Etymology: Middle English don, from Old English dōn; akin to Old Frisian duā, duān to do, Old Saxon dūan, Old High German tuon to do, Latin -dere to put, facere to make, do, Greek tithenai to place, set, Sanskrit dadhāti he puts, places, sets, Old Slavic děti to lay; basic meaning: setting, placing
transitive verb
1. archaic : cause , make — used with an infinitive following the object
do me not before my time to die — Edmund Spenser
2. : to bring to pass : carry out
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
3. : put
he did the diadem on — Philemon Holland
— now usually used in the phrase do to death
had been hounded down and done to death as heretics — Stringfellow Barr
4. : to perform (as an action) by oneself or before another : execute
you're bound to do much more walking … than you're accustomed to — Richard Joseph
watched the natives do a sacred dance
5.
a. : to be the cause of : bring about as a result : effect
his vacation did him a great deal of good
the portrait … does him great injustice — Mary R. Mitford
b. : to give freely : render , pay
have not sought the honor you have done me — A.E.Stevenson b.1900
pilgrims having done their homage to the tomb — Virginia Woolf
6. : to bring to an end : complete , finish
when she had done washing, it was a soft white silky fleece — Seumas O'Kelly
work waiting for them back on the … prairies when the fun was done — F.B.Gipson
7. : to put forth in achieving an end : exert
treason has done his worst — Shakespeare
he did his best to win the race
a place where there are men doing thinking — Woodrow Wilson
8. : to wear out especially by physical exertion : exhaust , tire
men and horses … were pretty well done by the time we got in — C.A.Murray
9. : to bring (as a work of art) into existence especially through the exercise of thought or imagination
he's going to do an article on you — Barnaby Conrad
the … paintings were done under the immediate influence of his academic masters — Herbert Read
the commission to do a work for the … Music Festival — Ross Parmenter
10.
a. : to play the part of (as a character in a play)
did the leading lady in several comedies
b. : to act in or serve as producer of
told one of the directors … that she would have done my play — Thomas Wolfe
they were doing a purely musical program — Jack Gould
11. : to take advantage of : treat unfairly
a great bookseller who … charges very high prices, he has done me many a time — H.J.Laski
especially : cheat
had played the dirty trick on the farmer and done him out of his woodland — Dorothy C. Fisher
they did him out of his share of the fortune
12. : to convert from one language or literary form to another — usually used with into
do a book from Latin into English
a prose essay done into rhyming couplets
13. : to treat or deal with in any way typically with the sense of preparation or with that of care or attention: as
a.
(1) : to put in order : clean
was doing the parlor when the phone rang
(2) : to make ready for use : wash
did the dishes right after supper
b.
(1) : to make ready for cooking or serving
do the beets with vinegar
(2) : cook
likes his steak well done
c. : set , arrange
her hair is done in that ugly pompadour of the period — J.P.Marquand
d. : to apply cosmetics to
she had done her face and fixed her … hair — Hamilton Basso
e. : decorate , furbish
did the front bedroom in blue
did the dining room over
14.
a. : to be occupied with or employed in : work at especially as a vocation
wanted to go on doing chemistry all his life — J.B.S.Haldane
hardly knows what he wants to do when he finishes college
b. : to prepare or work out especially by studying
did his lessons faithfully
15.
a. : to pass over (as distance) : cover , traverse
did 300 miles on the second day of their trip
the car did 18 miles to the gallon of gasoline
b. : to travel at a speed of
two cars doing 80 on the turnpike
16. : to visit and explore as or as if a sightseer : tour
tried to do England in a month
spent all afternoon doing one wing of the museum
17. : to satisfy the needs of : serve , suffice
our coats would do us for the goalposts — Mary Purcell
18. : to serve (as a term of imprisonment) under restraint : undergo
was doing five years for forgery
19. : to approve especially by custom, opinion, or propriety — usually used in the passive voice and with a negative
you oughtn't to say a thing like that … it's not done — Dorothy Sayers
20. : to provide especially for the physical comfort of — usually used with well
the largish restaurant was full of lunchers all doing themselves exceedingly well — Arnold Bennett
21. — used as a substitute verb to avoid repetition of a verb
I … chose my wife as she did her wedding gown — Oliver Goldsmith
often in a conclusion to a condition
if you have anything more to say, do it now
intransitive verb
1. : to conduct oneself : act , behave
never knew him to do like this before — J.M.MacDonald
do as I say
2.
a. : to get along : fare
men who wish to do well in the world — R.M.Weaver
how are your crops doing?
the airlines were doing pretty well — Richard Witkin
b. : to be as regards health : feel
how do you do
3. : to take place : go on : happen
should get to know more about … Africa and what's doing there — Emory Ross
4. : to carry on business or affairs : manage
how shall we do for money for these wars — Shakespeare
5. : to come to or make an end : finish
worked busily for a few minutes and when he had done, the stretcher was a rectangle — Norman Mailer
he had done with speech for that evening and gave us no reply — Arnold Bennett
6. : to exert oneself : be active : work
let us then be up and doing — H.W.Longfellow
7. obsolete : to continue with an action that one is already performing : proceed with an action that one has prepared to perform : go ahead — used in the imperative to express encouragement or incitement
8.
a. : to be adequate or sufficient : answer the purpose : serve
said this country would do for dairy farming — Ellen Glasgow
an ordinary trout rod of about five ounces … will do nicely — Pete Barrett
will not do as a translation — R.A.Fowkes
b. : to be fitting or appropriate : conform to custom or propriety
it would never do to neglect official obligations — W.F.de Morgan
9. — used as a substitute verb to avoid repetition of a verb
when beauty lived and died as flowers do now — Shakespeare
often in a reply to a question
did you go to the movies? I did
10. — used in the imperative after an imperative verb to add emphasis
be quiet, do
verbal auxiliary
1.
a. archaic — used with the infinitive without to to form periphrastic present and past tenses virtually interchangeable with the corresponding simple tenses; now used in biblical or ecclesiastical language
I do set my bow in the cloud — Gen 9:13(Authorized Version)
or in legal or parliamentary language
the motion for adjournment, in order to supersede a question, must be simply that the House do now adjourn — T.E.May
or in poetry
so offers he to give what she did crave — Shakespeare
or in British dialect
ye do be always with the hounds — Charles Lever
— not used with be in American English or in standard British English, nor with have in the literal sense of “possess” in standard British English
b. — used with the infinitive without to to form periphrastic present and past tenses now more generally current and acceptable than the corresponding simple tenses in declarative sentences with inverted word order
fervently do we pray — Abraham Lincoln
or in interrogative sentences
did you hear that
or in negative sentences
we do not know
don't you see
— not used with be in American English or in standard British English, nor with have in the literal sense of “possess” in standard British English
c. — used with full stress with the infinitive without to to form periphrastic present and past tenses expressing greater emphasis than the corresponding simple tenses
just as I expected, you did forget my birthday
— not used with be in American English or in standard British English, nor with have in the literal sense of “possess” in standard British English
2.
a. — used with full stress with the infinitive without to to form a periphrastic imperative expressing greater emphasis than the simple imperative
do be careful
b. — used with the infinitive without to to form a periphrastic imperative now used to the exclusion of the simple imperative in negative sentences
please do not enter
don't be foolish
•
- do by
- do one's block
- do proud
- do withal
- to do
II. ˈdü noun
( plural dos or do's ˈdüz)
1. now chiefly dialect : fuss and commotion : ado
a great deal of do and a great deal of trouble — Sir Walter Scott
2. archaic : deed , duty — used especially in the phrase to do one's do
3. chiefly Britain
a. : a festive get-together : affair , party
it is fashionable to support the public school system with an annual do — A.C.Spectorsky
b. : a military engagement : show
he was at Dieppe for the big do — Robert Trout
4. : a command or entreaty to do something
the basic dos and don'ts of mental health — Peg Bradner
5. Australia : go , success
looks a bit of a gamble to me but if you think you can make a do of it — Vance Palmer
III. noun
also doh ˈdō
( plural dos or do's ˈdōz)
Etymology: Italian do
1. : the first tone of the diatonic scale in solmization : tonic
2. : the tone C in the fixed-do system of solmization
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Japanese dō
: any of numerous regions or large districts each containing several provinces into which Japan was formerly divided
V. abbreviation
ditto
VI. transitive verb
1. : to attack physically : beat ; also : kill
2. : mimic ; also : to behave like
do a Houdini and disappear
3. : to consume or take regularly : use
doesn't do cocaine
4. : to have sexual intercourse with
5. : to partake of : eat
do lunch
•
- do a number on
VII. ˈdü noun
( -s )
Etymology: by shortening
: hairdo