do time
idiom
: 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 timeI've done my time at that terrible job, and now it's time to move on.
Examples of do time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On Friday Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV of the District of Massachusetts sentenced him to do time in prison, plus three years of supervised release, after a federal jury in March convicted him of three counts of visa fraud to obtain his permanent resident or green card.
—
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025
Access to email has changed the way inmates do time, but the tablets at Rikers, which is overseen by New York City, omit email and phone privileges.
—Phoebe Eaton, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025
Directors and performers with prestigious résumés do time for a paycheck, getting praise for their visionary genius as their every contribution is overruled or ignored.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2024
The restaurant saw this coming; on March 4, management posted a lengthy Instagram statement pleading with the public to not do time for Sandoval’s personal drama.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Mar. 2023
Yet defense lawyers like MiAngel Cody, based in Chicago and Miami, question the assumption that the federal system, which was placed on lockdown this week after a gang fight in a high-security unit in Texas, is an easier place to do time.
—New York Times, 2 Feb. 2022
About 70 defendants have had their cases adjudicated to date, and 31 of those will do time in prison.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 5 Jan. 2022
They occasionally would be caught and convicted, and do time in prison.
—Isabel Seliger, ProPublica, 24 May 2021
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Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025
Access to email has changed the way inmates do time, but the tablets at Rikers, which is overseen by New York City, omit email and phone privileges.
—Phoebe Eaton, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025
Directors and performers with prestigious résumés do time for a paycheck, getting praise for their visionary genius as their every contribution is overruled or ignored.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2024
The restaurant saw this coming; on March 4, management posted a lengthy Instagram statement pleading with the public to not do time for Sandoval’s personal drama.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Mar. 2023
Yet defense lawyers like MiAngel Cody, based in Chicago and Miami, question the assumption that the federal system, which was placed on lockdown this week after a gang fight in a high-security unit in Texas, is an easier place to do time.
—New York Times, 2 Feb. 2022
About 70 defendants have had their cases adjudicated to date, and 31 of those will do time in prison.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 5 Jan. 2022
They occasionally would be caught and convicted, and do time in prison.
—Isabel Seliger, ProPublica, 24 May 2021
Cite this Entry
“Do time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/do%20time. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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