do down

verb

did down; done down; doing down; does down
Synonyms of do downnext

transitive verb

British
: to get the better of (as by trickery)

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of do down in a Sentence

you'll do her down at cards, but she'll probably win at croquet
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And maybe David Bednar recaptures his old form and the Pittsburgh ‘pen proves as bewildering to opponents as the Tigers’ did down the stretch. — Tim Britton, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025 The star has shown incredible consistency over the years and the Browns weren't going to do down without trying to retain him. — William Lambers, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of do down was in the 14th century

Rhymes for do down

See All Rhymes for do down

Browse Nearby Words

dodo split
do down
dodrans
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Do down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/do%20down. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

'When Pigs Fly' and Other Barnyard Idioms

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular

See More

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

'When Pigs Fly' and Other Barnyard Idioms
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
kestrel
Name That Bird Quiz Are you as wise as an owl or just another birdbrain?
See All