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Glite Dictionary
to do right by

to do right by

40 5.4
Treat someone fairly and give them support
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : tratar bien a
  • I need to do right by my wife and my kids, and I need to be fully able, both physically and mentally, to honor my duties as a marine and as a man.
  • do right by kids
  • need to do right by

And you believe that they are doing right by you.

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Examples

  • I want to do right by you.

    House of Gucci (2021)

  • I always try to do right by my friends by supporting them in tough times.

  • So I wanted to do right by those animals.

  • I thought if you were a good person and you did right by people, come on, come on.

  • We need to do right by kids today, and we need to do right by their future.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Sir, I just want you to know that I intend to do right by your daughter.

    10 Things We Should Do Before We Break Up (2020)

  • Cameron is a good man; he'll do right by you and the other kids. Stay with him.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Most parents just want to do right by their children to keep them safe, and we would always regret doing anything that would harm our children.

  • I said to myself, "I don't care what you have to sacrifice... what you have to give up, you will do right by that little girl."

    Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

  • As a teacher, it's important to do right by your students to help them succeed.

Synonyms

to do well by
vsto do right by
1 5.0

Treat someone with respect and kindness

focuses on fairness, honesty, and practical support rather than just kindness

Antonyms

to do you wrong
8 5.9

To treat someone unfairly or break their trust

How Well

to stand up for
256 2.7
to do right by
40 5.4
to support
753 1.4
to ill-treat
  • NSFW
5.2

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

do + right + by

The sense 'act rightly toward someone' is largely derivable from combining 'do' (act) with 'right' (fair/correct), so a learner who knows those words can infer the general meaning. However, the preposition 'by' here has a non-literal role ('with respect to' or 'toward') and the exact nuance 'treat someone fairly/supportively' is partly idiomatic and may require exposure, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Do right by comes from the simple idea of do right by someone — imagine doing the right thing next to a person, acting fairly and keeping your promise to them. So, it now means 'to treat someone in a fair, honest, or supportive way'.