Meaning of do in English

  1. Pronunciation

    US accent

    UK accent

  1. Verb

    do

    Etymology

    Old English dōn, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch doen and German tun, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek tithēmi‘I place’ and Latin facere‘make, do’

    Definitions

    1. engage in

    Examples

    • « make love, not war »
    • « make an effort »
    • « do research »
    • « do nothing »
    • « make revolution »
  2. 2. carry out or perform an action

    Examples

    • « John did the painting, the weeding, and he cleaned out the gutters »
    • « the skater executed a triple pirouette »
    • « she did a little dance »
  3. 3. get (something) done

    Examples

    • « I did my job »
  4. 4. proceed or get along

    Examples

    • « How is she doing in her new job? »
    • « How are you making out in graduate school? »
    • « He's come a long way »
  5. 5. give rise to

    Examples

    • « cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally »
    • « cause a commotion »
    • « make a stir »
    • « cause an accident »
  6. 6. carry out or practice

    Examples

    • « as of jobs and professions »
    • « practice law »
  7. 7. be sufficient

    Examples

    • « be adequate, either in quality or quantity »
    • « A few words would answer »
    • « This car suits my purpose well »
    • « Will $100 do? »
    • « A 'B' grade doesn't suffice to get me into medical school »
    • « Nothing else will serve »
  8. 8. create or design, often in a certain way

    Examples

    • « Do my room in blue »
    • « I did this piece in wood to express my love for the forest »

    Antonyms

  9. 9. behave in a certain manner

    Examples

    • « show a certain behavior »
    • « conduct or comport oneself »
    • « You should act like an adult »
    • « Don't behave like a fool »
    • « What makes her do this way? »
    • « The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people »
  10. 10. spend time in prison or in a labor camp

    Examples

    • « He did six years for embezzlement »
  11. 11. carry on or manage

    Examples

    • « We could do with a little more help around here »
  12. 12. arrange attractively

    Examples

    • « dress my hair for the wedding »
  13. 13. travel or traverse (a distance)

    Examples

    • « This car does 150 miles per hour »
    • « We did 6 miles on our hike every day »

  14. Noun

    do

    Etymology

    mid 18th century: from Italian do, an arbitrarily chosen syllable replacing ut, taken from a Latin hymn (see solmization)

    Definitions

    1. an uproarious party
  15. 2. the syllable naming the first (tonic) note of any major scale in solmization
  16. 3. doctor's degree in osteopathy