does

does — verb

1. the form of the verb 'do' that is used with he, she, it, and singular nouns in t

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1
Definition

the form of the verb 'do' that is used with he, she, it, and singular nouns in the simple present tense

Example

Rohan does his homework before dinner every evening.

does + direct object (noun phrase)

Élise does volunteer work at the hospital on weekends.

subject is a singular female name (she)

Common collocations
  • does + noun phrase
  • does not + base verb
  • does + adverb of frequency

Grammar Patterns

does + noun phrase (transitive)

does + adverb (intransitive)

does not + base form of verb

Usage Note

Only used with third-person singular subjects: he, she, it, or a singular noun (e.g. 'the teacher', 'my sister', 'the computer'). For first-person (I, we), second-person (you), third-person plural (they), and plural nouns, use the base form 'do' instead. In questions and negatives, 'does' carries the third-person -s and the main verb remains in its base form: 'Does she walk to school?' — not 'Does she walks to school?'

Common Mistakes

He do his homework every day.
He does his homework every day.
Third-person singular subjects require 'does', not 'do'.
She does not likes coffee.
She does not like coffee.
After 'does not', the main verb stays in its base form without -s.
Does she walks to school?
Does she walk to school?
In questions, 'does' already carries the third-person -s, so the main verb uses the base form.

Word family

  • do
    verbA1
  • doer
    nounB2
  • doable
    adjectiveB2
  • undo
    verbB2

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Does' comes from the Old English verb 'dōn' (to do, act, perform) with the third-person singular present tense ending '-þ', which later changed to '-s' during the Middle English period. This -s ending follows a pattern shared by most English verbs to show that the subject is he, she, or it.