did

did — verb

1. the past tense form of the verb 'do', used to form questions and negatives in th

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1
Definition

the past tense form of the verb 'do', used to form questions and negatives in the past simple, to add emphasis to a past action, or as a main verb meaning 'performed' or 'carried out'

Example

Did Tariq send you the photos from the wedding?

question formation: did + subject + base verb

Sayaka did not remember to bring her umbrella.

negative: did + not + base verb

Common collocations
  • did + object (did homework, did the dishes, did a project)
  • did + not + verb (did not arrive, did not say)
  • did + pronoun (did it, did that, did this)
Synonyms
  • carried out

    more formal than 'did', common in written or official contexts

  • performed

    used for tasks, duties, or artistic acts

  • completed

    emphasises that something was finished, not just done

Antonyms
  • undid

    reversed or cancelled a previous action

  • avoided

    stayed away from doing something

Grammar Patterns

did + subject + base verb (questions)

did + not + base verb (negatives)

did + base verb (emphasis)

did + noun phrase (main verb)

Usage Note

In questions and negatives, 'did' already carries the past tense, so the main verb that follows must stay in its base form (e.g. 'Did she go?', not 'Did she went?'). When used for emphasis, 'did' is stressed in speech to show strong feeling about the action (e.g. 'I did lock the door!').

Common Mistakes

Did you went to the market yesterday?
Did you go to the market yesterday?
After 'did' in questions, the main verb is always in the base form, never past tense.
She didn't passed the exam.
She didn't pass the exam.
The auxiliary 'did' already marks the past tense, so the main verb stays in its base form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

While 'did' is the everyday past-tense verb for carrying out an action, these alternatives add formality or precision. 'Carried out' suggests following a plan or order (e.g. 'The team carried out the experiment exactly as designed'). 'Performed' is common for tasks, duties, or artistic acts ('She performed the opening ceremony duties with grace'). 'Completed' focuses on finishing ('He completed the marathon in under four hours'). 'Executed' is the most formal of the group and implies carrying out a plan with skill ('The chef executed the recipe flawlessly'). In casual conversation, 'did' is the natural choice; the others are more typical in written reports, reviews, or formal evaluations.

carried outperformed ↗completedexecuted

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • did well
  • did badly
  • did a good job
  • did a great job
  • did nothing
  • did everything

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'did' comes from Old English 'dyde', the past tense form of 'dōn' (to do). This goes back to Proto-Germanic *dedǣ, and further to the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeh₁-, meaning 'to put, place, or set'. The form has been used as the past tense of 'do' for over a thousand years.