Word.ws English Dictionary

do a number on

do a number on verb: to damage, especially to a significant extent; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects in.

Verb

do a number on (third-person singular simple present does a number on, present participle doing a number on, simple past did a number on, past participle done a number on)

  1. (idiomatic, informal) To damage, especially to a significant extent; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects in.
    • Your harsh words could do a number on my mental health.
    • He's a mean boss who really does a number on his employees.
    Synonyms:
    take its toll

Synonyms of do a number on

Forms of do a number on

third-person singular presentdoes a number on
present participledoing a number on
pastdid a number on
past participledone a number on

Questions about do a number on

What does do a number on mean?
Do a number on means to damage, especially to a significant extent; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects in.
What part of speech is do a number on?
Do a number on is a verb.
What is the past tense of do a number on?
The past tense of do a number on is did a number on.

Words near do a number on in the dictionary

  1. do a little trolling
  2. do a lot of work
  3. do a Melba
  4. do a moonlight flit
  5. do a never
  6. do a number on
  7. do a number two
  8. do a perish
  9. do a power of good
  10. do a Reggie Perrin
  11. do a runner

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: do a number on (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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