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Glite Dictionary
to do with

to do with

∞ 4.2
To need or want something because it would help now
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : venir bien
  • She could do with a vacation after such a long period of stress.
  • make do with

Examples

  • You can really do with some extra help on that project.

  • You hope for the best, then make do with what you get.

    Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

  • There is so much you can do with just your eyes.

  • Hey now, hey now, what you going to do with your life?

  • But what should you do with everything of this sort?

  • So you know what you can do with the media is amazing.

  • And now look what you can do with it.

    Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

  • What are you gonna do with the film?

    The China Syndrome (1979)

  • What are you gonna do with me now?

    The Front Page (1974)

  • What do you do with your counter space?

Synonyms

to use
vsto do with
∞ 1.0

To put something to work for a purpose

is about needing or benefiting from having something rather than actively applying it

How Necessary

to require
∞ 1.1
to depend on
309 1.0
to need
∞ 1.0
to do with
  • UK
∞ 4.2

Surface Forms

do with infinitive
did with past
done with past participle
doing with present participle
does with third person singular

Morphology

do + with

The surface components 'do' and 'with' suggest acting upon or using something, so there is a loose compositional link to meanings like 'use' or 'deal with', but the specific sense 'to need' (as in 'could do with') is an idiomatic extension that is not directly predictable from the literal meanings. Because the prepositional pattern shifts the meaning in a way learners must encounter (and because usage varies by construction: 'do with' vs. 'could do with' vs. 'what to do with'), a B1 learner who only knows the words is unlikely to reliably infer the target meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb do with comes from a simple image: you can do a job more easily with something that helps you, like a cup of tea or an extra pair of hands. So when you say you could do with something, you mean 'to need' or 'to want'.