do it

See also: doit

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

do it (third-person singular simple present does it, present participle doing it, simple past did it, past participle done it)

1. (colloquial) To be appealing or suitable.

   Synonyms: fit the bill, cut it

   A green shirt with orange slacks really doesn't do it for me, I’m afraid.

2. (slang, chiefly used in the past tense) To do something exceptionally foolish or unacceptable.

   He did it this time!

   She's really done it now!

   • 1953 November, Herbert Farris, Boys' Life, Boy Scouts of America, page 38:

     "Now you've done it, Chuck," the Colonel groaned. "Now you've done it! I brought you down here to teach my boys how to ride, not to kill them — this is terrible!"

   • 1986, Rita-Lou Clarke, Pastoral Care of Battered Women, Westminster John Knox Press, →ISBN, page 50:

     The man glared at her and said, "Now you've done it. Now you've done it. You've made me mad. If you don't put that back, you will make me even madder.

   • 2010, Maggie Barbara Gale, John F. Deeney, Dan Rebellato, The Routledge Drama Anthology and Sourcebook: From Modernism to Contemporary Performance, Routledge, →ISBN, page 375:

     Sally: Oh, stop it! I never heard of anything so daft in my life. Mrs Jike: Eh, what? Now you've done it! The spirits have all gone away.

   • 2012, Lilian Harry, Snowfall in Burracombe, Hachette UK, →ISBN, page 50:

     Stephen drew in a shaky breath. Now you've done it, he said to himself. There'll be no way out now. The old man will get his claws into you and you'll be hooked for life, like poor old Hilary.

3. (slang, euphemistic) To have sex; to make it.

   Synonyms: bang, get it on, have sex; see also Thesaurus:copulate

   He was upstairs doing it with her.

   • 1928, Cole Porter, “Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love”:

     And that's why birds do it, bees do it / Even educated fleas do it

   • 1968, Lennon–McCartney, “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?”, in The Beatles (The White Album), performed by The Beatles:

     Why don't we do it in the road / No one will be watching us

   • 1987, James Dearden, Fatal Attraction, spoken by Alex Forrest (Glenn Close):

     Have you ever done it in an elevator?

   • 1988, “Rise and Fall”, in Michael Weikath (lyrics), Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II, performed by Helloween:

     The king of Los Angeles / Bought himself a teddy bear / And the queen became shameless / She did it with a chair

   • 2017 September 2, Chelsea Peng, “5 *Scientific* Reasons to Have More Sex”, in Marie Claire‎:

     Speaking of golden numbers, a Wilkes University study might've found the optimum one as it relates to sex frequency and its effect on the human immune system: once or twice a week. Researchers discovered that college students who Did It that much had higher levels of a certain antibody that helps fight off colds and the flu.

4. (rare, slang, euphemistic) To urinate.

   Synonyms: do business, pass water; see also Thesaurus:urinate

   • 1991, “I'll Never Do It on a Christmas Tree”, in David Newman (lyrics), Rover Dangerfield, performed by Rover Dangerfield:

     I'll never do it on a Christmas tree / A Christmas tree is safe from me.

5. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see do,‎ it.

   You did it! And in record time! Congratulations!

Translations

to be appealing or suitable

Polish: podobać się impf Spanish: vacilar (es)

to have sex

Esperanto: seksumi (eo) French: se faire (fr) (quelqu’un) Polish: uprawiać seks impf

See also

• that does it

Anagrams

• doti