Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - do

~1 auxiliary verb past tense did past participle done 3rd person singular present tense does strong 1 »IN QUESTIONS/NEGATIVES« a) used with another v to form questions or negatives  (Do you like bananas? | I don't feel like going out tonight. | Ian didn't answer. | Where do you live? | Doesn't Rosie look wonderful? | Don't just stand there - do something! | Why don't you come for the weekend? (=please come) | Don't let's invite her. (=let's not invite her)) b) especially spoken used to form question tags  (You know Tony, don't you? | She didn't pay cash, did she?) 2 »FOR EMPHASIS« used to give emphasis to the main v  (Do take care! | "Why didn't you tell me?" "I did tell you." | He owns, or did own, a yacht.) 3 »IN POLITE REQUESTS« used as a polite way of offering someone something  (Do have a cup of tea.) 4 »INSTEAD OF VERB« used to avoid repeating another v  (Omar speaks English better than he did. (=better than he used to speak it) | "You broke my pencil!" "No I didn't!" | "You left the door open." "So I did." (=you are right) | "Will Kay come?" "She may do." | "You ought to phone your mother." "I have done." | So he plays the piano, does he? | so do I)  (Emma loves chocolate, and so do I. | neither do I)  ("I don't want any more." "Neither do I.") 5 what is sb/sth doing? used to ask why someone or something is in a particular place, when you think they should not be there  (What's this cake doing on the floor? | What was that man doing in our garden anyway?) 6 »WITH ADVERB« used to reverse the order of the subject and the verb when an adv or adverbial phrase starts a sentence  (Not only did I see him, I spoke to him, too.) ~2 v 1 »ACTIVITY/JOB« to perform (2) and finish a particular activity or job  (Have you done your homework yet? | Jo does aerobics three times a week. | It's a pleasure doing business with you. | do the dishes/washing up/laundry etc)  (It's your turn to do the washing.)  (- see job, make1) 2 do your hair/teeth/nails to spend time making your hair look nice, brushing your teeth etc  (Jan spends ages doing her hair in the mornings.) 3 what do you do (for a living)? spoken used to ask someone what their job is 4 »SUCCEED/FAIL« used to ask or say whether someone is being successful  (How are you doing?) + with/in etc  (How are you doing in your new job?) do well/badly  (The children are doing very well at school.) 5 do nothing for/do a lot for etc to have a particular effect on something or someone  (do nothing for sb (=not improve someone's appearance))  (That colour does nothing for her. | do a lot for (=have a good effect on))  (Getting the job has done a lot for her self-esteem. | do wonders for (=have a very good effect on))  (Moving to the city has done wonders for my social life.) 6 »SPEND TIME« informal to spend a period of time doing something difficult or something that you have to do  (I did two years of teaching before that.) 7 »FOOD« informal to make a particular kind of food  (I was thinking of doing a casserole tonight.) 8 »A SERVICE« to provide a particular service  (Do you do theatre bookings here? | We don't do food after 2 o'clock.) 9 »COPY« informal to copy someone's behaviour, in order to entertain people  (He does Clinton very well.) 10 »STUDY« T not in passive BrE to study a particular subject in a school or university  (I did French for 5 years.) 11 do sb good to make someone feel better, more cheerful etc  (A break will do you good.) 12 do 10 miles/do 20 kms etc to achieve a particular speed, distance etc  (We did 300 miles on the first day. | The car can do 120 mph.) 13 »VISIT« to visit a particular place, especially when you are going to see a lot of other places  (Let's do the Eiffel Tower today and the Pompidou Centre tomorrow.) 14 »ENOUGH/SUITABLE« especially spoken T not in progressive used to say that something will be enough or be suitable + for  (Ten bottles of wine should do for the party. | That vase would do for your Mum's birthday present. | "I've got a saucepan." "That'll do.") should/will do sb  (Here's &20 - that should do you. | should/will do sb for)  (A few sandwiches will do us for lunch.) 15 that will do! spoken used to tell a child that you want them to stop behaving in the way they are behaving 16 do as you're told spoken used to tell a child to behave in the way you tell them to 17 would do well to do sth used to advise someone that they should do something  (You'd do well to avoid that restaurant.) 18 »CHEAT« BrE spoken to cheat someone  (That painting's a fake. You've been done.) 19 »PUNISH« BrE spoken to punish someone  (Your Dad'll do you when he finds out. | get done)  (I got done for speeding yesterday.) 20 do it informal to have sex 21 »HAPPEN« spoken to happen  (What's doing at your place tonight?) 22 do sth to death to talk about or do something so often that it becomes boring  (That joke has been done to death.) 23 do well by sb to treat someone well  (He's left home, but he still does well by his kids.)  (- see also do your bit bit1 (15), how do you do how1 (10), nothing doing nothing1 (13), do sb proud proud (4)) do away with sb/sth phr v 1 to get rid of something so that it does not exist any longer  (The government has done away with free eye tests for everyone.) 2 informal to kill someone do sb down phr v BrE informal to criticize someone, especially when they are not there do for sb/sth phr v 1 what will you do for sth? spoken used to ask someone what arrangements they have made for a particular thing  (What will you do for transport tonight?) 2 BrE slang to kill someone 3 old-fashioned to make someone feel so tired that they cannot do anything  (All that travelling around really did for me. | be done for)  (I'm going to bed, I'm done for.) 4 BrE old-fashioned to have a job cleaning someone else's house, cooking for them etc do in phr v 1 (do someone in) informal to kill someone  (They say Bates did his wife in.) 2 (do someone in) to make someone feel extremely tired  (That walk really did me in.) do sth out phr v 1 to make a room look nice by decorating it  (The room was beautifully done out in pastel colours.) 2 informal especially BrE to clean a room or cupboard thoroughly  (I'll do out the kitchen cupboards tonight.) do sb out of sth phr v T often passive informal to cheat someone by not giving them something that they deserve, or something that they are owed  (I was done out of &10 in the shop this morning.) do over phr v 1 (do something over) to decorate a room, wall etc 2 (do something over) AmE to do something again because you did it wrong the first time  (Your homework's full of mistakes, you'd better do it over.) 3 (do something over) slang to steal things from a place  (The factory was done over last night.) 4 (do someone over) BrE slang to attack and injure someone do up phr v 1 to fasten or tie  (This skirt does up at the back. | do sth up)  (I can't do my shoelaces up. | Do up your coat or you'll be cold.)  (- see open2) 2 T do something up) to repair or redecorate a building or old car, so that it looks much better  (They did up the house and sold it for a vast profit.) 3 do yourself up to make yourself look neat and attractive  (Sue spent ages doing herself up for her date.) do with sth phr v 1 could do with spoken to need or want something  (I could do with a drink. | I could have done with some help this morning.) 2 what you do with yourself what you spend your time doing  (What do you do with yourself when you're not working? | not know what to do with yourself)  (June didn't know what to do with herself after she retired.) 3 what shall we do with?/ what have you done with? spoken used to ask someone about arrangements that have been made or something that has been done  (What shall we do with the kids while you're working? | I can't find my pen, what have you done with it?) 4 have/be to do with to have a connection with something  (The programme is to do with mental illness. | be nothing to do with you (=used to say that someone should not ask about something))  (What I do when you're out is nothing to do with you. | not have anything to do with (=not have any connection with))  (Do you think his bad mood has anything to do with what I said? | be something to do with (=having some connection, but you are not sure what))  (Judy's job is something to do with marketing.) 5 what is someone doing with? used to ask why someone has something  (What are you doing with my diary?) do without phr v 1 to manage to live without something or someone  (I can't afford a car, so I guess I'll just have to do without. | do without sth)  (You'll have to do without your dinner if you don't get back in time.) 2 can do without used to say that you prefer not to have something  ("Oh shut up, I can do without all this hassle.") ~3 n informal 1 a party or other social event  (Are you going to this do at John's tonight?) 2 dos and don'ts things that you must and must not do in a particular situation ~4 do, doh ~ n the first note in a musical scale1 (8) according to the sol­fa1 (8) system