Do vs. Does: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Published on November 22, 2023
"Do" is a plural and first-person singular auxiliary verb; "Does" is its third-person singular form.
Key Differences
Do" serves as an auxiliary verb used in questions, negative statements, and other constructions in various tenses, applicable for the first person singular and plural forms. "Does," however, is the auxiliary form specifically used for the third person singular.
"Do" is versatile, applicable in interrogative, negative, and emphatic sentences, adding functional depth without altering the main verb's meaning. "Does" maintains this functionality but is restricted to sentences where the subject is a third person singular entity.
"Do" also operates as a full verb, meaning to perform or execute, which applies universally regardless of the subject. In contrast, "Does," as the singular form, adapts the meaning of "do" for third-person singular subjects, signifying the same action but conforming to subject-verb agreement rules.
"Do" can represent an ellipsis, where it stands in for another verb previously mentioned or easily inferred from context. "Does" can similarly stand in for another verb but adheres strictly to instances involving a third-person singular subject.
"Do" has an imperative form, used in commands and requests. "Does," however, doesn't have an imperative form due to its third-person singular nature, which is not used for direct commands or requests.
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Comparison Chart
Basic Function
Auxiliary verb, main verb
Auxiliary verb for third-person singular
Grammatical Role
Used in questions, negations, emphasis
Used in questions, negations for third-person singular
Subject-Verb Agreement
First person, second person, third-person plural, and plural subjects
Third-person singular subjects
Verb Form
Base form
Third-person singular form
Imperative
Has an imperative form
No imperative form
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Do and Does Definitions
Do
"Do" operates as an auxiliary verb in questions.
Do you like coffee?
Does
"Does" is used for emphasis in the third person.
He does need to see this!
Do
"Do" appears in negative constructions.
I do not understand this concept.
Does
"Does" is the third-person singular form of "do."
She does her chores diligently.
Do
"Do" represents a verb in ellipsis.
I like singing, and so do you.
Does
"Does" functions as an auxiliary verb in questions.
Does he know the answer?
Do
To perform or execute; carry out
Do one's assigned task.
Do a series of business deals.
Does
"Does" represents a verb in ellipsis for third-person singular.
He likes ice cream, and so does she.
Do
To fulfill the requirements of
Did my duty at all times.
Does
"Does" appears in negative constructions for third-person singular.
She does not like that color.
Do
To perform the tasks or behaviors typically associated with (something), especially as part of one's character or normal duties
That talk show host just doesn't do subtle.
Does
Third person singular present tense of do1.
Do
To participate in (a meal or an activity) with another person
Let's do brunch on Sunday.
Does
Plural of doe
Do
To produce, especially by creative effort
Do a play on Broadway.
Do
To play the part or role of in a creative production
Did Elizabeth I in the film.
Do
To mimic
"doing the Southern voice, improvising it inventively as he goes along" (William H. Pritchard).
Do
To bring about; effect
Crying won't do any good now.
Do
To render; give
Do equal justice to the opposing sides.
Do honor to one's family.
Do
To put forth; exert
Do the best you can.
Do
To attend to in such a way as to take care of or put in order
Did the bedrooms before the guests arrived.
Do
To prepare for further use especially by washing
Did the dishes.
Do
To set or style (the hair).
Do
To apply cosmetics to
Did her face.
Do
To have as an occupation or profession
Have you decided what you will do after college?.
Do
To work out by studying
Do a homework assignment.
Do
Used as a substitute for an antecedent verb or verb phrase
He can play the piano, and I can do that, too.
Do
To travel (a specified distance)
Did a mile in four minutes.
Do
To go (a specified rate)
Did 80 mph on the highway.
Do
To make a tour of; visit
"[He] did 15 countries of Western Europe in only a few days" (R.W. Apple, Jr.).
Do
To be sufficient in meeting the needs of; serve
This room will do us very nicely.
Do
(Informal) To serve (a prison term)
Did time in jail.
Did five years for tax fraud.
Do
(Slang) To cheat; swindle
Do a relative out of an inheritance.
Do
(Slang) To take (drugs) illegally
"If you do drugs you are going to be in continual trouble" (Jimmy Breslin).
Do
(Slang) To kill; murder.
Do
Vulgar Slang To have sex with or bring to orgasm.
Do
To behave or conduct oneself; act
Do as I say and you won't get into trouble.
Do
To get along; fare
Students who do well at school.
Do
To carry on; manage
I could do without your interference.
Do
To make good use of something because of need
I could do with a hot bath.
Do
To serve a specified purpose
This coat will do for another season.
Do
To be proper or fitting
Such behavior just won't do.
Do
To take place; happen
What's doing in London this time of year?.
Do
Used as a substitute for an antecedent verb
Worked as hard as everyone else did.
Do
Used after another verb for emphasis
Run quickly, do!.
Do
Used with the infinitive without to in questions, negative statements, and inverted phrases
Do you understand? I did not sleep well. Little did we know what was in store for us.
Do
Used as a means of emphasis
I do want to be sure.
Do
A statement of what should be done
A list of the dos and don'ts of management.
Do
(Informal) An entertainment; a party
Attended a big do at the embassy.
Do
A commotion.
Do
A hairdo.
Do
Chiefly British Slang A swindle; a cheat.
Do
(Slang) Fecal matter; excrement.
Do
The first tone of the diatonic scale in solfeggio.
Do
A hairdo.
Do
(auxiliary) A syntactic marker.
Do
(auxiliary) be.}}
Do you go there often?
Do
(auxiliary) A syntactic marker in negations with the indicative and imperative moods.
I do not go there often.
Do not listen to him.
Do
(auxiliary) A syntactic marker for emphasis with the indicative, imperative, and subjunctive moods.
But I do go sometimes.
Do tell us.
Do
(pro-verb) be, though it can be in AAVE.}}
I play tennis; she does too.
Do
(transitive) To perform; to execute.
All you ever do is surf the Internet. What will you do this afternoon?
Do
To cause, make (someone) (do something).
Do
To suffice.
It’s not the best broom, but it will have to do;
This will do me, thanks.
Do
(intransitive) To be reasonable or acceptable.
It simply will not do to have dozens of children running around such a quiet event.
Do
(ditransitive) To have (as an effect).
The fresh air did him some good.
Do
(intransitive) To fare, perform (well or poorly).
Our relationship isn't doing very well;
How do you do?
Do
To fare#Verb well; to thrive; to prosper; (of livestock) to fatten.
Do
To have as one's job.
What does Bob do? — He's a plumber.
Do
To perform the tasks or actions associated with (something).
"Don't forget to do your report" means something quite different depending on whether you're a student or a programmer.
Do
To cook.
I'll just do some eggs.
Do
(transitive) To travel in, to tour, to make a circuit of.
Let’s do New York also.
Do
(transitive) To treat in a certain way.
Do
(transitive) To work for or on, by way of caring for, looking after, preparing, cleaning, keeping in order, etc.
Do
To act or behave in a certain manner; to conduct oneself.
Do
(transitive) To spend (time) in jail. (See also do time)
I did five years for armed robbery.
Do
(transitive) To impersonate or depict.
They really laughed when he did Clinton, with a perfect accent and a leer.
Do
(with 'a' and the name of a person, place, event, etc.) To copy or emulate the actions or behaviour that is associated with the person or thing mentioned.
He did a Henry VIII and got married six times.
He was planning to do a 9/11.
Do
To kill.
Do
To deal with for good and all; to finish up; to undo; to ruin; to do for.
Do
(informal) To punish for a misdemeanor.
He got done for speeding.
Teacher'll do you for that!
Do
To have sex with. (See also do it)
Do
(transitive) To cheat or swindle.
That guy just did me out of two hundred bucks!
Do
(transitive) To convert into a certain form; especially, to translate.
The novel has just been done into English;
I'm going to do this play into a movie
Do
To finish.
Do
Used to form the present progressive of verbs.
Do
(stock exchange) To cash or to advance money for, as a bill or note.
Do
To make or provide.
Do they do haircuts there?
Could you do me a burger with mayonnaise instead of ketchup?
Do
To injure (one's own body part).
Do
(transitive) To take drugs.
I do cocaine.
Do
To exist with a purpose or for a reason.
What's that car doing in our swimming pool?
Do
A party, celebration, social function; usually of moderate size and formality.
We’re having a bit of a do on Saturday to celebrate my birthday.
Do
Senseid|en|hairdo}}(informal) {{clip of hairdo
Nice do!
I don't like to spend time on my hairstyle, so I usually just wear a do-rag.
Do
Something that can or should be done.
Don't forget the dos and don'ts.
Do
Something that has been done.
"How come you quit?" "I'm moving to London." "Fair dos."
Do
(archaic) Ado; bustle; stir; to-do; A period of confusion or argument.
Do
A cheat; a swindler.
Do
An act of swindling; a fraud or deception.
Do
A homicide.
Do
(music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the first and eighth tonic of a major scale.
Do
(archaic) ditto
Do
The cardinal number occurring after el and before do one in a duodecimal system. Written 10, decimal value 12.
Do
A syllable attached to the first tone of the major diatonic scale for the purpose of solmization, or solfeggio. It is the first of the seven syllables used by the Italians as manes of musical tones, and replaced, for the sake of euphony, the syllable Ut, applied to the note C. In England and America the same syllables are used by many as a scale pattern, while the tones in respect to absolute pitch are named from the first seven letters of the alphabet.
Do
Deed; act; fear.
Do
Ado; bustle; stir; to do.
A great deal of do, and a great deal of trouble.
Do
A cheat; a swindle.
Do
To place; to put.
Do
To cause; to make; - with an infinitive.
My lord Abbot of Westminster did do shewe to me late certain evidences.
I shall . . . your cloister do make.
A fatal plague which many did to die.
We do you to wit [i. e., We make you to know] of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia.
Do
To bring about; to produce, as an effect or result; to effect; to achieve.
The neglecting it may do much danger.
He waved indifferently 'twixt doing them neither good not harm.
Do
To perform, as an action; to execute; to transact to carry out in action; as, to do a good or a bad act; do our duty; to do what I can.
Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work.
We did not do these things.
You can not do wrong without suffering wrong.
Do
To bring to an end by action; to perform completely; to finish; to accomplish; - a sense conveyed by the construction, which is that of the past participle done.
Do
To make ready for an object, purpose, or use, as food by cooking; to cook completely or sufficiently; as, the meat is done on one side only.
Do
To put or bring into a form, state, or condition, especially in the phrases, to do death, to put to death; to slay; to do away (often do away with), to put away; to remove; to do on, to put on; to don; to do off, to take off, as dress; to doff; to do into, to put into the form of; to translate or transform into, as a text.
Done to death by slanderous tongues.
The ground of the difficulty is done away.
Suspicions regarding his loyalty were entirely done away.
To do on our own harness, that we may not; but we must do on the armor of God.
Then Jason rose and did on him a fairBlue woolen tunic.
Though the former legal pollution be now done off, yet there is a spiritual contagion in idolatry as much to be shunned.
It ["Pilgrim's Progress"] has been done into verse: it has been done into modern English.
Do
To cheat; to gull; to overreach.
He was not be done, at his time of life, by frivolous offers of a compromise that might have secured him seventy-five per cent.
Do
To see or inspect; to explore; as, to do all the points of interest.
Do
To cash or to advance money for, as a bill or note.
Do
To perform work upon, about, for, or at, by way of caring for, looking after, preparing, cleaning, keeping in order, or the like.
The sergeants seem to do themselves pretty well.
Do
To deal with for good and all; to finish up; to undo; to ruin; to do for.
Sometimes they lie in wait in these dark streets, and fracture his skull, . . . or break his arm, or cut the sinew of his wrist; and that they call doing him.
Rarely . . . did the wrongs of individuals to the knowledge of the public.
My brightest hopes giving dark fears a being.As the light does the shadow.
Do
To act or behave in any manner; to conduct one's self.
They fear not the Lord, neither do they after . . . the law and commandment.
Do
To fare; to be, as regards health; as, they asked him how he did; how do you do to-day?
Do
To succeed; to avail; to answer the purpose; to serve; as, if no better plan can be found, he will make this do.
You would do well to prefer a bill against all kings and parliaments since the Conquest; and if that won't do; challenge the crown.
Some folks are happy and easy in mind when their victim is stabbed and done for.
Do
An uproarious party
Do
The syllable naming the first (tonic) note of any major scale in solmization
Do
Doctor's degree in osteopathy
Do
Engage in;
Make love, not war
Make an effort
Do research
Do nothing
Make revolution
Do
Carry out or perform an action;
John did the painting, the weeding, and he cleaned out the gutters
The skater executed a triple pirouette
She did a little dance
Do
Get (something) done;
I did my job
Do
Proceed or get along;
How is she doing in her new job?
How are you making out in graduate school?
He's come a long way
Do
Give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally;
Cause a commotion
Make a stir
Cause an accident
Do
Carry out or practice; as of jobs and professions;
Practice law
Do
Be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity;
A few words would answer
This car suits my purpose well
Will $100 do?
A 'B' grade doesn't suffice to get me into medical school
Nothing else will serve
Do
Create or design, often in a certain way;
Do my room in blue
I did this piece in wood to express my love for the forest
Do
Behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself;
You should act like an adult
Don't behave like a fool
What makes her do this way?
The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people
Do
Spend time in prison or in a labor camp;
He did six years for embezzlement
Do
Carry on or manage;
We could do with a little more help around here
Do
Arrange attractively;
Dress my hair for the wedding
Do
Travel or traverse (a distance);
This car does 150 miles per hour
We did 6 miles on our hike every day
Do
"Do" means to perform or carry out.
I do my homework in the evening.
Do
"Do" is used for emphasis.
I do want to go with you.
FAQs
Is "does" third-person singular?
Yes, it's used with he, she, it.
Does "does" replace "do" in negations?
For third-person singular, yes.
Is "do" used in commands?
Yes, it's the imperative form.
Can "do" be a main verb?
Yes, meaning to perform or execute.
Can "do" be an auxiliary verb?
Yes, in questions, negatives, and emphasis.
Does "do" have a past form?
Yes, "did."
Does "do" form questions?
Yes, for all persons except third-person singular.
Can "does" emphasize statements?
Yes, for third-person singular subjects.
Can "do" indicate habitual actions?
Yes, in the present simple tense.
Is "does" used for emphasis?
Yes, with third-person singular subjects.
Is "does" used in the past tense?
No, "did" is used instead.
Is "does" ever plural?
No, it's always third-person singular.
Can "does" start a question?
Yes, for third-person singular queries.
Is "do" informal?
No, it's standard in speech and writing.
Does "does" imply gender?
No, it's neutral.
Can "do" stand for another verb?
Yes, in certain elliptical constructions.
Is "do" plural?
It's used with plural subjects.
Is "does" a contraction?
No, but "doesn't" is.
Does "does" follow subject-verb agreement?
Yes, with third-person singular subjects.
Can "do" be omitted in English?
Sometimes, in specific informal structures.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
