do

Often used in the pattern 'do something about [issue]' or 'do nothing/anything/everything/much/little' to describe the extent of action taken. Frequently occurs with modal verbs (must do, should do, can do).

Almost always used in fixed patterns with an adverb: 'do someone well/good' (treat kindly/generously), 'do someone wrong/badly' (treat unfairly). The past participle 'done' is common in passive constructions ('I was done wrong').

Always followed by an adverb (well, badly, better, poorly, fine, OK) or occurs in the question pattern 'How is someone doing?' Cannot take a direct object in this sense. Distinguish from sense 1 (CARRY OUT), which always takes a task as object.

Only occurs in the fixed expressions 'have (something/nothing/anything/a lot) to do with' and 'be to do with'. Cannot be used as a standalone verb. In negative clauses, 'have nothing to do with' strongly indicates no connection. 'Be to do with' is more common in British English.

The object is typically a gerund or noun representing a regular responsibility (cooking, gardening, shopping, cleaning, paperwork). Distinguish from sense 1 (CARRY OUT): sense 1 focuses on performing a specific activity at a specific time ('She did her homework last night'), while this sense focuses on being in charge of a recurring area of responsibility ('She does the homework in their house').

Very common in informal British English. In American English, 'take' is more often used for courses and subjects ('I am taking biology this semester').

Object is typically a puzzle, sum, equation, crossword, or exam question. Common in classroom contexts. With 'cannot/could not', it means the person was unable to find the answer.

Can take two objects ('do someone something'). With food, 'do' usually implies preparing or cooking, and is common in informal British English ('do roast chicken', 'do dumplings from scratch'). For baking cakes from scratch, 'bake' or 'make' is more natural than 'do'.

Almost always appears in the perfect form ('have done with') or as a predicate adjective ('be done with / be done doing'). Used informally; 'finished' is more formal. The 'with' is required before a noun object.

When used with a room name ('do the kitchen'), it always means clean. When used with body parts or hair ('do her nails', 'do his hair'), it means groom or style rather than just clean. To specify the cleaning method, add 'with' ('do the floor with a mop').

Object is the item being arranged (flowers, table, decorations, chairs), not the location. To specify the location, use 'for' or 'at' ('do the flowers for the church').

Object must be a measurable distance (kilometres, miles), a speed (kilometres per hour, knots), or a specific route/trip. Common in informal English about vehicles and physical exercise.

Distinguish from sense 13 (COVER DISTANCE): this sense emphasizes finishing the whole route, not just measuring how far you went. The object is typically a named route or journey rather than a raw number.

Almost always appears with 'will' or 'would'. The sense is most common in spoken English. In questions ('Will it do?') it asks whether something meets a requirement.

British English, informal. The indirect object (person receiving) comes before the direct object. Common fixed phrases include 'do someone a favour', 'do someone a kindness', 'do someone a good turn'.

Common in informal and amateur-theatre contexts. For professional theatre, 'perform' or 'play the role of' are more formal alternatives. The object can be the play itself ('do Macbeth'), the character ('do Macbeth'), or a scene ('do a scene').

Very common in travel conversations. Often used with the definite article before the sight or attraction: 'do the Louvre', 'do the sights'. The focus is on 'visiting and seeing' rather than 'experiencing deeply'. More formal alternatives include 'visit', 'tour', or 'see'.

British informal slang. The object is the building or property entered, not the items stolen. Frequently used in the passive ('My house was done'). A more neutral alternative is 'burgle' (British) or 'burglarise' (American).

Almost always followed by 'out of' plus the item taken. Without 'out of', the meaning changes completely. The construction 'do someone out of something' is the fixed pattern. More formal alternatives include 'cheat', 'swindle', or 'defraud'.

The object is always a period of time, never the prison itself. 'Do time' is a fixed idiomatic expression meaning to serve a prison sentence. This sense is more common in informal speech and news reporting. A more formal alternative is 'serve'.

British informal and somewhat dated. The meaning is often vague — it can mean anything from 'scold severely' to 'beat up', depending on context. More commonly found in threats ('I'll do you!') than in descriptions of actual punishment. More specific alternatives include 'beat', 'punish', or 'discipline'.

Informal. Usually appears in the set phrase 'do drugs' (plural) or 'do + [a specific drug name]'. Common in past and progressive tenses. Avoid in formal or academic writing.

Restricted to informal questions ('What's doing?', 'What's doing at…?') and the fixed negative construction 'nothing doing' / 'there's nothing doing'. Cannot replace 'happen' freely — for example, you cannot say 'The accident did this morning.'

Used informally, especially in British English, as a light-hearted synonym for 'party' or 'event'. It is typically modified by a preceding noun or adjective that says what kind of event it is: 'a birthday do', 'a charity do', 'a Christmas do'. Avoid using it in formal writing.

Short for 'hairdo', which itself is already informal. 'Do' used alone for 'hairdo' is old-fashioned in most English-speaking regions. It survives in the compound 'up-do' (a hairstyle worn up), which remains current in fashion contexts. Younger speakers rarely use 'do' alone to mean 'hairstyle'.

This is a technical music term. In fixed-do solfège, 'do' always represents the same pitch (C). In movable-do solfège, 'do' is the tonic of whatever key the music is in. The word is not capitalised in running text ('do, re, mi') except at the start of a sentence.

The tag's subject is always a pronoun (you, he, she, it, we, they) that matches the subject of the main sentence. A positive statement takes a negative tag; a negative statement takes a positive tag. This is the most common pattern, used to confirm information you think is likely true.

Unlike checking tags (sense 2), surprise tags keep the same positive/negative form as the statement — so a positive statement takes a positive tag. The speaker usually says the tag with a rising intonation to show they find the information unexpected.

Common in comparisons, short answers, and replies where repeating the full verb phrase would sound awkward. The form (do/does/did) must match the tense of the original verb — use 'does' for present third-person singular, 'did' for past, and 'do' for all other present forms.

Only used in affirmative (positive) statements, not in negatives or questions. The emphatic 'do/does/did' is spoken with stronger stress than a normal auxiliary. This sense is particularly common in polite invitations and requests, and in arguments where you want to contradict someone who says you didn't do something.