doing

doing — noun

1. Something that a particular person has done or caused to happen, especially when

1.nounB1
Definition

Something that a particular person has done or caused to happen, especially when people are talking about who is responsible.

Example

The success of the auction was entirely her doing, from the decorations to the invitations.

be + possessive + doing for responsibility

Sari insisted the broken window was not her doing and asked for the security footage.

Common collocations
  • be + possessive + doing
  • all + possessive + doing
  • entirely + possessive + doing
Synonyms
  • responsibility

    focuses on duty or blame rather than action

  • work

    emphasises the effort put in, not the ownership of the result

Grammar Patterns

possessive + doing

be + possessive + doing

Usage Note

Nearly always appears with a possessive determiner (his, her, its, their, someone's). Rarely used in questions or negative statements.

Common Mistakes

It was doing of Mary.
It was Mary's doing.
The possessive form must come directly before 'doing'.

2. Used to say that a task or goal is very difficult and demands a lot of time, ene

2.nounB2
Definition

Used to say that a task or goal is very difficult and demands a lot of time, energy, or skill.

Example

Getting thirty guests to agree on a restaurant took some doing, but we found a Thai place at last.

take some doing for difficulty

Reuben fixed the old motorcycle engine himself, though it took some doing and a whole weekend.

Common collocations
  • take some doing
  • need some doing
  • it takes some doing + to-infinitive
Synonyms
  • effort

    a more general word; 'doing' specifically suggests that something was achieved despite difficulty

  • struggle

    stronger, implies hardship or resistance

Antonyms
  • breeze

    informal; opposite meaning — something very easy

Grammar Patterns

take some doing

need some doing

Usage Note

Almost exclusively appears in the fixed expression 'take some doing' or 'need some doing'. Does not occur freely with adjectives (not 'hard doing').

Common Mistakes

It took a doing to finish the project.
It took some doing to finish the project.
'some doing' is the fixed form, not 'a doing'.

3. Things that happen or that someone does, especially when they seem unusual, inte

3.nounB2
Definition

Things that happen or that someone does, especially when they seem unusual, interesting, or slightly secret.

Example

The neighbours reported strange doings at the old warehouse late at night to the police.

strange doings for unusual events

Aylin told me all the office doings I had missed while I was away on holiday.

Common collocations
  • strange doings
  • daily doings
  • office doings
  • household doings
Synonyms
  • activities

    neutral and more common; 'doings' often implies something noteworthy or gossip-worthy

  • happenings

    similar tone — informal and slightly mysterious

  • goings-on

    informal, often suggests secret or suspicious events

Grammar Patterns

plural: doings

Usage Note

Usually appears in the plural form 'doings'. Often carries a tone of mild curiosity or amusement about what people have been up to.

4. A word that stands in for the name of a small item or gadget when that name has

4.nounB1
Definition

A word that stands in for the name of a small item or gadget when that name has slipped your mind.

Example

Pass me that little silver doing from the top drawer of the toolbox, please.

little + doing for unnamed small object

I need a plastic doing with a hole in the middle to fix the shower head.

Common collocations
  • little doing
  • small doing
  • plastic doing
  • silver doing
Synonyms
  • thingy

    equally informal; slightly more common in British English

  • whatsit

    informal British; used the same way

  • doohickey

    informal American English equivalent

Grammar Patterns

little + doing

small + doing

Usage Note

Informal, used mainly in spoken British English. Equivalent to 'thingy' or 'whatsit'. Common when the speaker assumes the listener can guess what object is meant from context.

Common Mistakes

Can you pass me the doing?' (no context)
Can you pass me the little plastic doing on the shelf?
The listener needs enough context to identify which object you mean.
Idioms

take some doing | take a lot of doing

idiom

It means that something requires a lot of effort or is very difficult to achieve.

Climbing that mountain before noon will take some doing.

Did fixing the old car take a lot of doing for your dad?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words describe something that requires energy or determination, but they differ in focus. 'Effort' is the most general noun for the energy needed to achieve something ('It required a huge effort'). 'Struggle' adds a sense of hardship or active resistance — you battle against difficulties ('Getting the visa was a real struggle'). 'Challenge' emphasises that the task tests your ability, often in a positive or neutral way ('Climbing the mountain was a challenge she enjoyed'). 'Work' is the broadest of the group and can refer to any activity that uses effort, not necessarily difficult ('The car needed a lot of work'). 'Doing' (in 'take some doing') specifically highlights that a goal was achieved only after considerable effort — not just that effort was required, but that it was applied successfully. For example: 'We convinced the board to approve the budget — it took some doing, but we got there.' This sense of successful achievement after difficulty is what sets 'take some doing' apart from the more general words above.

effort ↗struggle ↗challenge ↗work ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • take some doing
  • be someone's doing
  • all someone's doing

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The noun 'doing' developed from the present participle and gerund of the Old English verb 'dōn' (to do, to act, to perform). By the Middle English period, 'doing' was already used as a verbal noun meaning 'action' or 'performance'. The sense of 'effort' ('take some doing') emerged in the 19th century, and the informal use as a placeholder for an unnamed object ('the little doing') developed in 20th-century British colloquial speech.