Definition of 'do'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense does ( WEAK dəz
, STRONG dʌz
), present participle doing
, past tense did
, past participle done
Do is used as an auxiliary with the simple present tense. Did is used as an auxiliary with the simple past tense. In spoken English, negative forms
of do are often shortened, for example do not is shortened to don't and did not is shortened to didn't.
1. auxiliary verb
Do is used to form the negative of main verbs, by putting 'not' after 'do' and before the main verb in its infinitive form, that is the form without 'to'.
4. auxiliary verb
You use do when you are confirming or contradicting a statement containing 'do', or giving a negative or positive answer to a question.
6. auxiliary verb
Do is used to give emphasis to the main verb when there is no other auxiliary.
[emphasis]
7. auxiliary verb
8. verb
Do can be used to refer back to another verb group when you are comparing or contrasting two things, or saying that they are the same.
Girls receive less health care and less education in parts of the developing world
than do boys.
9. verb
You use do after 'so' and 'nor' to say that the same statement is true for two people or groups.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
English Easy Learning GrammarHow do you use the verb 'do' in English?The verb do is used as an auxiliary verb.
I do not want it. We do not want it.
You do not want it. You do not want it.
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I do not want it. We do not want it.
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Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense does ( WEAK dəz
, STRONG dʌz
), present participle doing
, past tense did
, past participle done
do is used in a large number of expressions which are explained under other words in
the dictionary. For example, the expression 'easier said than done' is explained at
'easy'.
1. verb
2. verb
3. verb
6. verb
If an action or event does a particular thing, such as harm or good, it has that result or effect.
7. verb
8. verb
You can talk about what someone or something does to a person to mean that they have a very harmful effect on them.
10. verb
If you are doing something, you are busy or active in some way, or have planned an activity for some time in the future.
11. verb
If you say that someone or something does well or badly, you are talking about how successful or unsuccessful they are.
12. verb
If a person or organization does a particular service or product, they provide that service or sell that product.
[mainly British]
13. verb
You can use do when referring to the speed or rate that something or someone achieves or is able
to achieve.
15. verb
16. verb
You can use do to say that you are able or unable to behave in a particular way.
[informal]
18. verb
If you say that something will do or will do you, you mean that there is enough of it or that it is of good enough quality to meet your requirements or to satisfy you.
19.
See could do with
20.
21.
22.
See that will do
23.
Phrasal verbs:
See do away with
See do down
See do for
See do in
See do out
See do out of
See do over
See do up
See do without
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word forms: plural dos
1. countable noun
2.
See dos and don'ts
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
do
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
Word Frequency
do in British English 1
verbWord forms: does, doing, did, done
2. (often intr; foll by for)
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
3. (transitive)
to arrange or fix
you should do the garden now
4. (transitive)
to prepare or provide; serve
this restaurant doesn't do lunch on Sundays
6. (transitive)
to improve (esp in the phrase do something to or for)
9. (intransitive)
to conduct oneself
do as you please
11. (transitive)
to cause or produce
complaints do nothing to help
13. (transitive)
to work at, esp as a course of study or a profession
he is doing chemistry
what do you do for a living?
14. (transitive)
to perform (a play, etc); act
they are doing 'Hamlet' next week
17. (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?
18. (takes an infinitive without to)
I do like your new house
do hurry!
19. (takes an infinitive without to)
she does not like cheese
do not leave me here alone!
20. (takes an infinitive without to)
used as an auxiliary in inverted constructions
little did she realize that
only rarely does he come in before ten o'clock
21.
used as an auxiliary to replace an earlier verb or verb phrase to avoid repetition
he likes you as much as I do
25. (transitive) slang
to serve (a period of time) as a prison sentence
he's doing three years for burglary
she's doing time
29. (transitive) Australian informal
to lose or spend (money) completely
31. (transitive) slang
to take or use (a drug)
33. (transitive)
to arrange (a meal)
let's do lunch
34. See do
35. See do or die
36. See how do you do?
37. See make do
nounWord forms: plural dos or do's
38. slang
an act or instance of cheating or swindling
40. See do's and don'ts
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
Old English dōn; related to Old Frisian duān, Old High German tuon, Latin abdere to put away, Greek tithenai to place; see deed, doomWord Frequency
do in British English 2
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
do in British English 3
the internet domain name for
Dominican Republic
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
DO in British English
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
do. in British English
abbreviation for
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
ditto in British English
nounWord forms: plural -tos
1.
the aforementioned; the above; the same. Used in accounts, lists, etc, to avoid repetition and symbolized by two small marks (〃) known as ditto marks, placed under the thing repeated
Abbreviation: doadverb
3.
in the same way
sentence substitute
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
DO in American English
or D.O.
Doctor of Osteopathy
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
Do in American English
or do
ditto
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
do in American English 1
verb transitiveWord forms: did, done, ˈdoing
1.
b.
to carry out; fulfill
do what I tell you
3.
to bring about; cause; produce
it does no harm; who did this to you?
5.
to have or take (a meal)
let's do lunch
8.
to work out; solve
do a problem
9.
to produce or appear in (a play, etc.)
we did Hamlet
10.
a.
to play the role of
I did Polonius
b. Informal
to imitate, or behave characteristically as
to do a Houdini
11.
to write or publish (a book), compose (a musical score), etc.
12.
a.
to cover (distance)
to do a mile in four minutes
b.
to move along at a speed of
to do 60 miles an hour
14.
to translate
to do Horace into English
15.
to give; render
to do honor to the dead
17. Informal
a.
to prepare; cook
that restaurant does ribs really well
b.
to eat
let's do Mexican tonight
18. Informal
to cheat; swindle
you've been done
21. Slang
to perform a sexual act upon; specif., to have sexual intercourse with
22. Slang
to kill
verb intransitive
23.
to act in a specified way; behave
he does well when treated well
24.
to be active; work
do; don't merely talk
25.
to finish
used in the perfect tense [have done with dreaming]26.
to get along; fare
mother and child are doing well
28.
to take place; go on
anything doing tonight?
29. Chiefly British, Informal
I haven't seen the film, but she may have done
auxiliary verb
31.
used to ask a question
did you write?
32.
used to serve as part of a negative command or statement
do not go, they do not like it
33.
used to serve as a substitute verb
love me as I do (love) you
34.
used to form inverted constructions after some adverbs
little did he realize
nounWord forms: plural do's or dos
36. Chiefly British, Informal
a party or social event
SIMILAR WORDS: perˈform
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME & OE don, akin to Ger tun, OS duan < IE base *dhē-, to put, place, set > Sans dadhāmi, Gr tithenai, to place, put, L -dere (as in condere, to set down), facere, to do, make
Word Frequency
do in American English 2
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
do in American English 3
noun
Slang
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
do in American English 1
(duː, unstressed du, də) (verb & auxiliary verb present singular 1st person do, 2nd person do, archaic doest or dost, 3rd person does, archaic doeth or doth, present plural do, past singular 1st person did, 2nd person did, archaic didst, 3rd person did, past plural did, past participle done, present participle doing, noun plural dos, do's)
transitive verb
1.
to perform (an act, duty, role, etc.)
Do nothing until you hear the bell
2.
to execute (a piece or amount of work)
to do a hauling job
5.
to be the cause of (good, harm, credit, etc.); bring about; effect
7.
to deal with, fix, clean, arrange, move, etc., (anything) as the case may require
to do the dishes
8.
to travel; traverse
We did 30 miles today
9.
to serve; suffice for
This will do us for the present
11.
to travel at the rate of (a specified speed)
He was doing 80 when they arrested him
12.
to make or prepare
I'll do the salad
13.
to serve (a term of time) in prison, or, sometimes, in office
14.
to create, form, or bring into being
She does wonderful oil portraits
15.
to translate into or change the form or language of
MGM did the book into a movie
16.
to study or work at or in the field of
I have to do my math tonight
17.
to explore or travel through as a sightseer
They did Greece in three weeks
18.
(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
22. slang
to use (a drug or drugs), esp. habitually
The police report said he was doing cocaine
intransitive verb
23.
to act or conduct oneself; be in action; behave
26.
to get along; fare; manage
to do without an automobile
27.
to be in health, as specified
Mother and child are doing fine
29.
to finish or be finished
30.
to happen; take place; transpire
What's doing at the office?
31.
(used as a substitute to avoid repetition of a verb or full verb expression)
I think as you do
auxiliary verb or verb
32.
(used in interrogative, negative, and inverted constructions)
Do you like music?
I don't care
Seldom do we witness such catastrophes
33. archaic
Do thou hasten to the king's side
The wind did blow, the rain did fall
35. See do a number on (someone)
36. See do away with
37. See do by
38. See do for
39. See do in
40. See do one proud
41. See do one's number
42. See do one's thing
43. See do or die
44. See do out of
45. See do over
46. See do time
47. See do to death
48. See do up
49. See do with
50. See do without
51. See have to do with
52. See make do
noun
SYNONYMS 1, 25. act. 3. do, accomplish, achieve mean to bring some action to a conclusion. do is the general word: He did a great deal of hard work. accomplish and achieve both connote successful completion of an undertaking. accomplish emphasizes attaining a desired goal through effort, skill, and perseverance: to accomplish what one has hoped for. achieve emphasizes accomplishing something important, excellent, or great: to achieve a major breakthrough. 54. informal
a hairdo or hair styling
55. Brit slang
a swindle; hoax
56. chiefly Brit
a festive social gathering; party
57. See dos and don'ts
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[bef. 900; ME, OE dōn; c. D doen, G tun; akin to L -dere to put, facere to make, do, Gk tithénai to set, put, Skt dadhāti (he) puts]Word Frequency
do in American English 2
(dou)
nounWord forms: plural dos Music
1.
the syllable used for the first tone or keynote of a diatonic scale
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word Frequency
do. in American English
abbreviation
ditto
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word Frequency
D.O. in American English
abbreviation
1. Also: DO, d.o.
direct object
2.
Doctor of Optometry
3.
Doctor of Osteopathy
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Examples of 'do' in a sentence
do
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Quotations
Do unto others what you would they should do unto you
Trends of
do
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In other languages
do
British English: do
/dʊ/ VERB
If you do something, you spend some time on it or finish it.
I tried to do some work.
- American English: do /də, du, ˈdu/
- Arabic: يَفْعَلُ
- Brazilian Portuguese: fazer
- Chinese: 做
- Croatian: učiniti
- Czech: dělat
- Danish: gøre
- Dutch: doen
- European Spanish: hacer
- Finnish: tehdä
- French: faire
- German: tun
- Greek: κάνω
- Italian: fare
- Japanese: ・・・をする
- Korean: (...을) 하다
- Norwegian: gjøre
- Polish: zrobić
- European Portuguese: fazer
- Romanian: a face
- Russian: делать
- Latin American Spanish: hacer
- Swedish: göra
- Thai: ทำ
- Turkish: yapmak
- Ukrainian: робити
- Vietnamese: làm
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do
Source
Definition of do from the Collins English Dictionary
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