to do

1 of 2

phrase

Synonyms of to donext
: necessary to be done
I've done my best and all's to do again.—A. E. Housman

to-do

2 of 2

noun

tə-ˈdü How to pronounce to-do (audio)
plural to-dos tə-ˈdüz How to pronounce to-do (audio)
: bustle, stir, fuss

Synonyms of to do

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Noun

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Examples of to do in a Sentence

Noun there was such a to-do when the mice got loose from the science room that I thought the principal was going to close the school
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.
Phrase
Sunderland, of course, spent heavily last season after coming up from the Championship, and there is a broad consensus that promoted teams need to do so to quickly bring their squads up to scratch. — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 The show must go on, even if said show is skiing down the north face of Everest — something that has never been done before, which in the circumstances, wouldn’t strike most people as a good enough reason to do it. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 He's got big plans for Season 3 Popular captions for the meme joke about male authority figures like dads and uncles ordering the viewer to do ludicrous tasks. — Owen Carry, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026 After the first quarter, Basha was not able to do anything effective on offense. — Caleb Otte, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for to do

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1576, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of to do was circa 1576

Rhymes for to do

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Browse Nearby Words

todlowrie
to do
to-do
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“To do.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/to%20do. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

to-do

noun
tə-ˈdü
plural to-dos
-ˈdüz
: fuss entry 1, stir, commotion
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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