Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of do-nothing Former ComEd consultant Jay Doherty was sentenced today to one year in prison for his role in an elaborate scheme to funnel money to do-nothing subcontractors with ties to then-House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for Madigan’s influence on legislation in Springfield. Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025 About a dozen have visited or have plans to make stops in the early primary states, such as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, 60, who in April caught attention for delivering a searing speech in New Hampshire aimed at 'do-nothing' Democrats. Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025 That would have a power move for the do-nothing Heat. – Michael. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 June 2025 In the political messaging battle, though, whether the assessment of a do-nothing Congress and Speaker is true or not is beside the point. Emily Brooks, The Hill, 20 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for do-nothing
Noun
  • Snails can look like little elephants, slugs can look like fish, and worms can look like swimming chandeliers.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The reflective foil discourages unwanted insects and pests like slugs from approaching and harming the plants, but actually helps to attract butterflies.
    Darcy Lenz, Southern Living, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Cora planned for his players to test the right fielder’s bum elbow — the Red Sox always attack pinstriped vulnerabilities on the basepaths — and sure enough Nick Sogard turned a single into a double in the seventh because Judge can’t throw the ball.
    Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Among them are South Korean’s CIA Director (Ryoo Seung-bum) and the Japanese Deputy Minister of Transport (Takayuki Yamada).
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 20 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In military settings, electronic warfare (EW) units use powerful transmitters to broadcast noise or false signals on the same frequencies, overwhelming or confusing the drone’s receiver.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025
  • On September 24, airports in Denmark and Norway were closed after drones appeared in the sky.
    Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Many springs feature a visible boil at the water surface above the spring vent, crystal clear water, submerged grasses waving in the current, and a range of fish, turtles, snails and other aquatic animals hiding in the grasses.
    Christopher F. Meindl, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025
  • In our lives how many things are like the snail, never thought of?
    Victoria Chang, The New York Review of Books, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Jeremiah is slutting it up with Steven’s colleagues and Taylor’s friends and generally embracing life as a once-and-future deadbeat.
    Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Michael Mando was a relatively minor player in the Orphan Black universe, appearing in early seasons as Vic, Sarah's deadbeat ex-boyfriend.
    Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In Havana, beggars are ubiquitous.
    Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Brando, the owner of an atoll in Tahiti, where his family dwelled, had become the beggar of Hollywood, who had to feed on crumbs.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The former, in which Burnett and Hamilton did a song-and-dance routine as Dust Bowl-era hobos, marked the first of several times that the two performed together.
    Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Rich earth tones lean into the season’s palette, while hobo shapes and mini shoulder bags feel especially of-the-moment.
    Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 23 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Do-nothing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/do-nothing. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!