do-it-yourself

noun

do-it-your·​self ˌdü-i-chər-ˈself 

ˌdü-it-yər-

often attributive

: the activity of doing or making something (as in woodworking or home repair) without professional training or assistance

broadly : an activity in which one does something oneself or on one's own initiative

do-it-yourselfer

ˌdü-i-chər-ˈsel-fər 

ˌdü-it-yər-

noun

Examples of do-it-yourself in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While more and more hotels are promoting hammams as part of their spas, most are disappointingly simply steam rooms perhaps providing coarse salt for a do-it-yourself scrub. —Johanna Read, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Also unclear: whether more Americans will want to go the do-it-yourself route. —Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2025

This includes the deployment of do-it-yourself air filters and development of low-cost, point-of-use water filters to mitigate exposure to the secondary effects of drought. —Katherine Ann James, The Conversation, 25 Apr. 2025

Slate University will serve as a guidepost for those who want to try their hand at making do-it-yourself (DIY) improvements to their new vehicle. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for do-it-yourself

• bookshelf
• herself
• himself
• hisself
• itself
• meself
• myself
• nonself
• oneself
• thyself
• yourself
• elf

Kids Definition

do-it-yourself

adjective

do-it-your·​self

ˌdü-ə-chər-ˈself

: of, relating to, or designed for a person without professional training or help to do or make

do-it-yourselfer

-ˈsel-fər

noun