do duty

verb

To serve, especially as a substitute for something else.

“The old kettle did duty as a door-stop while we weren't brewing tea.”

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Meanings

verbdo duty (third-person singular simple present does duty, present participle doing duty, simple past did duty, past participle done duty)

present singular third person does duty · participle present doing duty · past did duty · participle past done duty

  1. To serve, especially as a substitute for something else.

    The old kettle did duty as a door-stop while we weren't brewing tea.

Cite this entry
APA

do duty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/do%20duty

MLA

“do duty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/do%20duty. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “do duty,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/do%20duty.

Source: do duty on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.