Etymology 1
From Middle English don, from Old English dōn, from Proto-West Germanic *dōn, from Proto-Germanic *dōną, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, do, make”).
For senses 4 and 5, compare Old Norse duga, whence Danish du.
The past tense form is from Middle English didde, dude, from Old English dyde, *diede, an unexpected development from Proto-Germanic *dedǭ/*dedē (the expected reflex would be *ded), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰédʰeh₁ti, an athematic e-reduplicated verb of the same root *dʰeh₁-.
The meaningless use of do in interrogative, negative, and affirmative sentences (e.g. "Do you like painting?" "Yes, I do"), existing in some form in most Germanic languages,[1] is thought by some linguists to be one of the Brittonicisms in English, calqued from Brythonic.[2] It is first recorded in Middle English, where it may have marked the perfective aspect, though in some cases the meaning seems to be imperfective. In Early Modern English, any meaning in such contexts was lost, making it a dummy auxiliary, and soon thereafter its use became mandatory in most questions and negations.
Doublets include deed, deem, and -dom, but not deal.
Other cognates include, via Latin, English feast, festival, fair (“celebration”), via Greek, English theo-, theme, thesis, and Sanskrit दधाति (dadhāti, “to put”), धातृ (dhātṛ, “creator”) and धातु (dhātu, “layer, element, root”).
Verb
do (third-person singular simple present does, present participle doing, simple past did, past participle done)
- (auxiliary) A syntactic marker.
- (auxiliary) A syntactic marker in a question whose main verb is not another auxiliary verb or be.
Do you go there often?
- (auxiliary) A syntactic marker in negations with the indicative and imperative moods.
I do not go there often.
Do not listen to him.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 51:“Well,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity.
- (auxiliary) A syntactic marker for emphasis with the indicative, imperative, and subjunctive moods.
But I do go sometimes.
Do tell us.
1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:“I don't know how you and the ‘head,’ as you call him, will get on, but I do know that if you call my duds a ‘livery’ again there'll be trouble. It's bad enough to go around togged out like a life saver on a drill day, but I can stand that 'cause I'm paid for it. […] ”
1950, C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe:"Do stop it," said Susan; "it won't make things any better having a row between you two. Let's go and find Lucy."
- (pro-verb) A syntactic marker that refers back to an earlier verb and allows the speaker to avoid repeating the verb; in most dialects, not used with auxiliaries such as be, though it can be in AAVE.
I play tennis; she does too.
They don't think it be like it is, but it do. (nonstandard)
- (auxiliary, archaic, dialectal) Used to form the present progressive of verbs.
1844, William Barnes, “Evenén in the Village”, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect:...An' the dogs do bark, an' the rooks be a-vled to the elems high and dark, an' the water do roar at mill.
- (transitive) To perform; to execute.
- Synonyms: accomplish, carry out, functionate
If you want something done, do it yourself.
All you ever do is surf the Internet. What will you do this afternoon?
2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 48:The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing", […] and so on. But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention.
- (obsolete, transitive) To cause, make (someone) (do something).
1490, William Caxton, “Prologue”, in Eneydos (in Middle English); republished as Caxton's Eneydos, London: Early English Text Society, 1890, page 2:And also my lorde abbot of westmynster ded do shewe to me late, certayn euydences wryton in olde englysshe […]- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 7, page 258:Sometimes to do him laugh, ſhe would aſſay / To laugh at ſhaking off the leaues light, / Or to behold the water worke […]
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 8:1, column 1:MOreouer, brethren, wee do you to wit [i.e. we make you to know] of the grace of God beſtowed on the Churches of Macedonia, […]
- (intransitive, transitive) To suffice.
it’s not the best broom, but it will have to do; this will do me, thanks.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 51:“Well,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity.
1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit:"Here," she said, "take your old Bunny! He'll do to sleep with you!" And she dragged the Rabbit out by one ear, and put him into the Boy's arms.
- (intransitive) To be reasonable or acceptable.
It simply will not do to have dozens of children running around such a quiet event.
- (ditransitive) To have (as an effect).
The fresh air did him some good.
- (intransitive) To fare, perform (well or poorly).
Our relationship isn't doing very well; how do you do?
2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.
- (especially England, intransitive) To fare well; to thrive; to prosper; (of livestock) to fatten.
1971, George Ewart Evans, quoting ploughman Charles Last (born 1878), Tools of Their Trades: An Oral History of Men at Work c. 1900, Taplinger Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 68:That farm would go like a rick a-fire. It would do: it would go forward and prosper and make him his money.
- (transitive, chiefly in questions) To have as one's job.
What does Bob do? — He's a plumber.
- (transitive) To perform the tasks or actions associated with (something).
Don't forget to do your report!
- (transitive) To cook.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:cook
I'll just do some eggs.
1944, “News from the Suburbs”, in Punch:We went down below, and the galley-slave did some ham and eggs, and the first lieutenant, who was aged 19, told me about Sicily, and time went like a flash.
2005, Alan Tansley, The Grease Monkey, page 99:Next morning, they woke about ten o'clock, Kev, went for a shower while Alice, did some toast, put the kettle on, and when he came out, she went in.
- (transitive) To travel in, to tour, to make a circuit of.
1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, “Our Foreign Correspondent”, in Little Women: […], part second, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC, page 115:We 'did' London to our hearts' content,—thanks to Fred and Frank,—and were sorry to go away; […]
1892, James Batchelder, Multum in Parvo: Notes from the Life and Travels of James Batchelder, page 97:After doing Paris and its suburbs, I started for London […]
1968 July 22, Ralph Schoenstein, “Nice Place to Visit”, in New York Magazine, page 28:No tourist can get credit for seeing America first without doing New York, the Wonderful Town, the Baghdad-on-Hudson, the dream in the eye of the Kansas hooker […]
Let’s do New York also.
- (transitive) To treat in a certain way.
1894, Harper's New Monthly Magazine, volume 87, page 59, column 1:They did me well, I assure you—uncommon well: Bollinger of '84; green chartreuse fit for a prince; […]
1928, Dorothy L[eigh] Sayers, “The Abominable History of the Man with Copper Fingers”, in Lord Peter Views the Body:Upon my word, although he [my host] certainly did me uncommonly well, I began to feel I'd be more at ease among the bushmen.
1994, Jervey Tervalon, Understand This, →ISBN, page 50:"Why you gonna do me like that?" I ask. "Do what?" "Dog me."
2023, “Christmas, Why You Gotta Do Me Like This”, performed by Eels:Christmas, why you gotta do me like this / I always embraced you / Held you close inside my heart
- (transitive) To work for or on, by way of caring for, looking after, preparing, cleaning, keeping in order, etc.
2018, Kate Atkinson, Transcription, →ISBN, page 291:The woman-who-did did not do very well, Juliet thought.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To act or behave in a certain manner; to conduct oneself.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Kings 17:34, column 2:Vnto this day they doe after the former manners: they feare not the Lord, neither doe they after their Statutes, or after their Ordinances, or after the Law and Commaundement which the Lord commaunded the children of Iacob, whom hee named Iſrael, […]
- (transitive) To spend (time) in jail. (See also do time)
- Synonym: serve
I did five years for armed robbery.
- (transitive) To impersonate or depict.
- Synonyms: imitate, personate, take off
They really laughed when he did Clinton, with a perfect accent and a leer.
- (transitive, with 'a' and the name of a person, place, event, etc.) To copy or emulate the actions or behaviour that is associated with the person or thing mentioned.
He did a Henry VIII and got married six times.
He was planning to do a 9/11.
- (transitive, slang) To kill.
- Synonyms: do in, murder, off, rub out; see also Thesaurus:kill
2003 August 17, George Pelecanos, “Bad Dreams” (43:27 from the start), in The Wire, season 2, episode 11 (television production), spoken by Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), via HBO:About a year ago, a boy name Brandon got got here in Baltimore. Stuck and burned before he passed. […] Wasn't no need for y'all to do him the way y'all did.
2004, Patrick Stevens, Politics Is the Greatest Game: A Johannesburg Liberal Lampoon, →ISBN, page 314:He's gonna do me, Jarvis. I kid you not, this time he's gonna do me proper.
2007, E.J. Churchill, The Lazarus Code, page 153:The order came and I did him right there. The bullet went right where it was supposed to go.
- (transitive, slang) To deal with for good and all; to finish up; to undo; to ruin; to do for.
1870, Charles Reade, Put Yourself in His Place:Sometimes they lie in wait in these dark streets, and fracture his skull, […] or break his arm, or cut the sinew of his wrist; and that they call doing him.
- (transitive, informal) To punish for a misdemeanor.
He got done for speeding.
Teacher'll do you for that!
- (transitive, slang) To have sex with. (See also do it)
- Synonyms: go to bed with, sleep with; see also Thesaurus:copulate with
1996, James Russell Kincaid, My Secret Life, page 81:[…] one day I did her on the kitchen table, and several times on the dining-room table.
2008, Donna Hill, On the Line, page 84:The uninhibited woman within wanted to do him right there on the countertop, but I remained composed.
- (transitive) To cheat or swindle.
- Synonyms: defraud, diddle, mug off, rip off, scam; see also Thesaurus:deceive
That guy just did me out of two hundred bucks!
1852, Thomas De Quincey, Sir William Hamilton:He was not to be done, at his time of life, by frivolous offers of a compromise that might have secured him seventy-five per cent.
- (transitive) To convert into a certain form; especially, to translate.
the novel has just been done into English; I'm going to do this play into a movie
- (transitive, intransitive) To finish.
- (stock exchange) To cash or to advance money for, as a bill or note.
- (informal, transitive, ditransitive) To make or provide.
- Synonyms: furnish, give, supply; see also Thesaurus:give
Do they do haircuts there?
Could you do me a burger with mayonnaise instead of ketchup?
- (informal, transitive) To injure (one's own body part).
2010 April 24, “Given stretchered off with suspected broken shoulder”, in The Irish Times, retrieved 2015-07-21:"Defender Kolo Toure admitted Given will be a loss, but gave his backing to Nielsen. 'I think he's done his shoulder,' said the Ivorian."
2014 April 14, Matt Cleary, “What do Australia's cricketers do on holiday?”, in ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 2015-07-21:"Watto will spend the entire winter stretching and doing Pilates, and do a hamstring after bending down to pick up his petrol cap after dropping it filling his car at Caltex Cronulla."
2014 August 13, Harry Thring, “I knew straight away I'd done my ACL: Otten”, in AFL.com.au, retrieved 2015-07-21:"'I knew straight away I'd done my ACL, I heard the sound - it was very loud and a few of the boys said they heard it as well,' Otten said."
- (transitive) To take (a drug).
I do cocaine.
- (transitive, in the form be doing [somewhere]) To exist with a purpose or for a reason.
What's that car doing in our swimming pool?
- (informal, transitive) To drive a vehicle at a certain speed, especially in regard to a speed limit.
He was doing 50 [miles per hour] in a school zone.
Usage notes
- In older forms of English, when the pronoun thou was in active use, this verb possessed second-person singular present indicative forms dost and doest, and a second-person singular past indicative form didst.
- Similarly, when the ending -eth was in active use for third-person singular present indicative forms, this verb possessed third-person singular present indicative forms doth and doeth.
- There was a tendency to use the shorter forms dost and doth as auxiliaries, and doest and doeth elsewhere.
Conjugation
More information infinitive, present tense ...
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Noun
do (plural dos or do's or (uncommon) doos)
- (UK, informal) A party, celebration, social function; usually of moderate size and formality.
- Synonyms: get-together; see also Thesaurus:party
We’re having a bit of a do on Saturday to celebrate my birthday.
1980, Jona Lewie, Keef Trouble (lyrics and music), “You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties”, performed by Jona Lewie:She was into French cuisine but I ain't no Cordon Bleu / This was at some do in Palmers Green, I had no luck with her
1980 December 13, Mitzel, “Dale Barbre's Murder Transformed”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 21, page 13:A gross-gutted, bulb-nosed, bourbon-stanky Boston flatfoot in plain clothes wrinkled white sox, with a race track tip-sheet stuffed in his back pocket trying real hard to mingle unnoticed at an elegant Buddies "do" to glean inside-dope.
2013 September 13, Russell Brand, “Russell Brand and the GQ awards”, in The Guardian:[…] ; this aside, though, neon forever the moniker of trash, this is a posh do, in an opera house full of folk in tuxes.
- (informal) Clipping of hairdo.
- Alternative form: 'do
Nice do!
I don't like to spend time on my hairstyle, so I usually just wear a do-rag.
2012, Hannah Richell, The Secrets of the Tides, →ISBN, page 464:I like the new do.
- (chiefly fossilized) Something that can or should be done.
- Antonym: don't
Don't forget the dos and don'ts.
1916, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter VIII, in Just David:With the coming of Monday arrived a new life for David—a curious life full of "don'ts" and "dos."
- (chiefly obsolete, fossilized in the UK) Something that has been done.
"How come you quit?" "I'm moving to London." "Fair dos."
- (archaic) Ado; bustle; stir; to-do; A period of confusion or argument.
- Synonym: to-do
1689, John Selden, Table Talk:A great deal of do, and a great deal of trouble.
- (obsolete, UK, slang) A cheat; a swindler.
- (obsolete, UK, slang) An act of swindling; a fraud or deception.
- (UK, slang) A homicide.
2020 December 4, “No fibs” (1:34 from the start), in (Zone 2) Karma × Trizzac (lyrics), Demented:Get it done, no not properly
Them man thought that they got me
True, I came back like a fucking zombie
Attempted do with the ching
Have an opp boy say “please don’t chong me!”
Usage notes
- For the plural of the noun, the spelling dos would be correct; do's is often used for the sake of legibility, but is sometimes considered incorrect.