Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to do someone like that

to do someone like that

1 8.4
Treat someone unfairly or hurt them, often when they trust you
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : hacerle eso a alguien
  • - Mm-mmm. - Come on, Tiny, don't do me like that.

Examples

Synonyms

to ride roughshod
vsto do someone like that
1 8.8

Treat people badly and ignore their feelings or rights

is informal and often involves hurting someone unexpectedly
to ill-treat
vsto do someone like that
  • NSFW
5.2

Behave towards a person or animal in a cruel, unfair way

is informal and often involves hurting someone unexpectedly

How Hurtful

to abuse
  • NSFW
344 3.7
to humiliate
  • Offensive
414 6.1
to do someone like that
  • Informal
1 8.4
to snub
7 6.3

Surface Forms

do someone like that infinitive
did someone like that past
done someone like that past participle
doing someone like that present participle
does someone like that third person singular

Morphology

do + someone + like + that

The meaning 'to treat someone in a way that is unfair or hurtful' is directly derivable from combining 'do' (to perform/affect), 'someone' (a person) and 'like that' (in that way/manner). This is a compositional treatment verb + manner phrase common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would generally infer the sense (though the negative nuance is pragmatic and may need context).

Etymology

Do someone like that may come from the simple image of one person suddenly doing something hurtful to someone, like a surprise push or trick, so the action feels unfair and shocking. That's why it now means 'to treat someone unfairly or hurtfully, especially unexpectedly'.