do time

verb

To spend time in prison (as a prisoner) or in the military (as a servicemember).

“My wife is unavailable for three months, as she's doing time for fraud.”

Similar
be banged upbe insidedo birddo porridgelive at Her Majesty's pleasureserve time
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Meanings

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

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

  1. colloquialTo spend time in prison (as a prisoner) or in the military (as a servicemember).

    My wife is unavailable for three months, as she's doing time for fraud.

    2 more examples

    ‘If you land in the cooler, I haven’t enough to bail you out and you’ll have to do time.’

    1961, Tom Mead, Killers of Eden, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 118

    Yes, Virginia, now Santa's doing time In a Federal prison for his infamous crime

    1996, "Weird Al" Yankovic, “The Night Santa Went Crazy”, in Bad Hair Day

    Synonyms: be banged up, be inside, do bird, do porridge, live at Her Majesty's pleasure, serve time

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo spend time in prison (as a prisoner) or in the military (as a servicemember).

Similar
be banged upbe insidedo birddo porridgelive at Her Majesty's pleasureserve time
Also see
do porridgelive at her majesty's pleasure

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 坐班房
  • 坐班房 (zuòbānfáng)colloquial: to spend time in prison
Czech bručet, sedět
  • bručetcolloquial: to spend time in prison
  • sedětcolloquial: to spend time in prison
Danish sidde inde, afsone
  • sidde indecolloquial: to spend time in prison
  • afsonecolloquial: to spend time in prison
  • ruske tremmercolloquial: to spend time in prison
Finnish suorittaa rangaistusta, lusia
  • suorittaa rangaistustacolloquial: to spend time in prison
  • lusiacolloquial: to spend time in prison
French faire de la prison
  • faire de la prisoncolloquial: to spend time in prison
German sitzen, einsitzen
  • sitzencolloquial: to spend time in prison
  • einsitzencolloquial: to spend time in prison
Hungarian börtönben ül
  • börtönben ülcolloquial: to spend time in prison
Polish siedzieć
  • siedziećcolloquial: to spend time in prison
Russian сиде́ть, мота́ть срок
  • сиде́ть (sidétʹ)colloquial: to spend time in prison
  • мота́ть срок (motátʹ srok)colloquial: to spend time in prison
  • ча́литься (čálitʹsja)colloquial: to spend time in prison
Spanish cumplir cadena
  • cumplir cadenacolloquial: to spend time in prison
Swedish skaka galler
  • skaka gallercolloquial: to spend time in prison
Tamil கம்பியெண்ணு
  • கம்பியெண்ணு (kampiyeṇṇu)colloquial: to spend time in prison
Turkish yatmak
  • yatmakcolloquial: to spend time in prison
Ukrainian сиді́ти
  • сиді́ти (sydíty)colloquial: to spend time in prison
Vietnamese bóc lịch
  • bóc lịchcolloquial: to spend time in prison
Cite this entry
APA

do time. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/do%20time

MLA

“do time.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/do%20time. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “do time,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/do%20time.

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