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do time

idiom

Definition of do time

: to be in a prison for a period of time : to serve all or part of a prison sentence
  • He has been doing time in a federal penitentiary.
—sometimes used figuratively as do one's time
  • I've done my time at that terrible job, and now it's time to move on.

Word by Word Definitions

do play

  1. : to bring to pass : carry out

  2. : put

  3. : perform, execute

  1. : fuss, ado

  2. : deed, duty

  3. : a festive get-together : affair, party

  1. : the first tone of the major scale in solfège

See the full definition of do
time play

  1. : the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues : duration

  2. : a nonspatial continuum that is measured in terms of events which succeed one another from past through present to future

  3. : leisure

  1. : to arrange or set the time of : schedule

  2. : to regulate (a watch) to keep correct time

  3. : to set the tempo, speed, or duration of

  1. : of or relating to time

  2. : recording time

  3. : timed to ignite or explode at a specific moment

See the full definition of time

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