do for
Britishverb
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(tr) to convict of a crime or offence
they did him for manslaughter
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(intr) to cause the ruin, death, or defeat of
the last punch did for him
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(intr) to do housework for
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to thrive or succeed
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Bring about the death, defeat, or ruin of, as in He swore he'd do for him . This usage is often put in the passive voice (see done for ). [First half of 1700s]
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Care or provide for, take care of, as in They decided to hire a housekeeper to do for Grandmother . This usage today is more common in Britain than in America. [Early 1500s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Whatever you want,” I said in desperation, although I had no clue what I could possibly do for Elliot Mason that he’d care about.
From Literature
The thing that I’d been training not to do for my entire life.
From Literature
However, the pair explained that they had finally reached a stage where they felt ready to share more of their lives with the public—starting with their Cosmopolitan cover shoot, which Culkin convinced Song to do for the sake of their sons.
From MarketWatch
By week five, he says, he was "virtually pain-free" and able to do things he had not been able to do for "quite some time".
From BBC
After 10 years, I couldn't walk, I couldn't drive, I couldn't do jobs that a mum would do for her children.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
