Treatments of the verb do in various dictionaries. Phrasal verbs and idioms are generally excluded, as are the various auxiliary and noun senses.
| gloss | DCE [1] | MW3 [2] | RHU [3] | CC [4] | WN [5] | OED [6] | W1913 [7] | AH4 [8] | MWC [9] | MQ4 [10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| put | 3 | 1a, 1b, 1c (obsolete) | 1 (obsolete) | 2 ("to death") | ||||||
| cause / make | 1 (archaic) | 11 | 5 | 22, 23 (obsolete) | 2 | 1 | 5 (cause), 12 (make) | |||
| effect/achieve | 3 | 2 ("bring to pass"), 5a | 5 | 3 | 5, 6, 7 | 3 | 3a | 4a | 3 | |
| perform (an action) | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | included in 5, 6a, 6b, 6c ("crimes") | 4 | 1a, 1c | 3a, 3b (separates "crimes") | 1 |
| finish | 6, 5(II) | 3, 29 | included in 1 | 8, 17 (desist) | 5 | 5, 4(II) | included in 3 | |||
| make ready | 12 | 6 | ||||||||
| cook | 11 | 13b | 11b | included in 6 (make ready) | 12b (prepare for consumption) | 15 (colloquial) ("provide") | ||||
| put into a certain form / adapt | 12 | 15 | 3? ("arrange") | 8 | 13 | 7 | ||||
| cheat / deceive | 28 (UK informal) | 11 | 20 (informal) | 24 (informal) | 11f (slang) | 8 | 12 (slang) | 11 | 19 (colloquial) | |
| explore / visit | 21 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 11h | 9 | 10b | 15 | 14 | |
| advance money for | 10 | |||||||||
| act/behave | 16, 17 | 1(II) | 23, 25 ("proceed") | 9 | 9 | 15a | 1(II) | 1(II) | 1(II) | 26 |
| fare, get by | 2 | 2a, 2b (II) (health) | 26, 27 (health) | 10 | 4 | 18a, 18b (people vs. things), 19 (health) | 2(II) | 2a(II) | 2a, 2b (II) | 27 |
| serve the purpose | 5 | 17, 8a(II) | 9, 28 | 2 | 7 | 20a, 20b(colloquial) | 3(II) | 11a, 3a(II) | 17, 6(II) | 20 (colloquial), 28 |
| engage in | 1 | |||||||||
| practice (as a job) | 4 | 14a | included in 16 | 13 | 6 | 6d | 7 | 13 | ||
| design / decorate | 15 | 13e | 8 | 11a | 12e | |||||
| serve/spend time | 9 | 18 | 13 | 23 (slang) | 10 | 11i (slang) (prison only) | 11b (informal) | 16a, 16b | 11 | |
| function ("could do with...") | 11 | 2b, 2c | ||||||||
| arrange, beautify (hair etc.) | 8 | 13c, 13d | 5 | 12 | 6a, 6b (hair vs. skin) | 12c, 12d | ||||
| travel (a distance / at a speed) | 12 | 15a, 15b | 8,11 | 16, 17 | 13 | 11g | 10a | 14a, 14b | 9,10 | |
| study a subject | 10 (UK) | 16 | 13 | |||||||
| provide/render (a service) | 13 | 5b | 6 | 4, 12 | 4a, 4b | 3b | 4b | 6 | ||
| put on a performance | 14 | 10b | 14 | 2b | 10a, 10c | |||||
| imitate, play the role of | 18 | 10a | 15 | 11d | 2c | 10b | ||||
| have / partake (meal, meeting, movie) | 19? | 21 (informal) | included in 11h | 22 | 19 | |||||
| use illegal drug | 20 | 22 (slang) | 29 (slang) | 11p (slang) | 13 (slang) | 20 | 18 (colloquial) | |||
| punish / beat | 27 (UK colloquial) | 28 ("assault") (UK slang) | included in 11e (as slang) | 23 (colloquial) | ||||||
| fulfill requirements (do one's duty) | 1b | |||||||||
| produce (a creative work) | 9 | 14 ("create") | 10 | 2a | 8 | 2 | ||||
| put forth, exert | 7 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||||
| put in order / deal with | 13a | included in 11a | 5a, 5b | 12a | 7 | |||||
| kill | included in 11e (as slang) | 14 (slang) | 7b (attack/kill) | |||||||
| have sex with | 30 ("taboo" slang) ("of a male") | 16b (colloquial) | 15 (vulgar, slang) | 21 | 24 (colloquial) | |||||
| be proper | 19, 8b(II) | 10 | 3b(II) | 18, 7(II) | ||||||
| happen | 3 | 30 | 22 | 4 (II) | 3 (II) | |||||
| exhaust (someone) | 21 | 8 | 19 (informal) | 11e | 7a | |||||
| rob | 24 (slang) | 25 (slang) | ||||||||
| make an improvement [11] | 6 | |||||||||
| find an answer / work out | 14b | 7 | 11c | 8 | 8 | |||||
| arrest | 26a (slang) | included in 11l | ||||||||
| convict of a crime | 26b (slang) | 11l (slang) | ||||||||
| spend (money) | 27 (Australian slang) | 3a (obsolete), 11o (AU/NZ slang) | 22 (colloquial) ("use up") | |||||||
| take care of ("do oneself well") | 20 | 11m (animal only), 11n (colloquial) | 19 | |||||||
| be active ("up and doing") | 6 | 16 | 5 | 25 | ||||||
| neuter an animal | 16 | |||||||||
| injure | 17 (colloquial) | |||||||||
| carry on, get by | 4(II) | 15b | ||||||||
| continue; go ahead[12] | 7(II) (obsolete) | |||||||||
| deprive ("do of") | 1d (obsolete) | |||||||||
| act in a fashion ("do the proper") | 11j |