Word.ws English Dictionary

that will do

that will do phrase: said to confirm that something is suitable in quantity or in a particular quality.

Phrase

that will do

  1. (idiomatic) said to confirm that something is suitable in quantity or in a particular quality
    • I said, "Your Royal Highness : on or abou the 10th day of October, 1861, John Wilson Mackenzie, of Rotterdam, Chemung county. New Jersey, deceased, contracted with the General Government to furnish to General Sherman the sum total of thirty barrels of beef—"
      "That will do, sir—that will do; this...1871, Mark Twain, chapter IV, in Eye Openers: Good Things, Immensely Funny Sayings & Stories That Will Bring a Smile Upon the Gruffest Countenance, page 38
    • C. — Mr. Smart Aleck, what does you know about this case?
      Smart A. — I heard the accused say, "them there Germans needs more taters."
      Miss C. — What else did you hear him say?
      Smart A.— Nothing but I lost my—
      Miss C. — Lost what?
      Smart A. — Lost my tater.
      Miss C— That will do for you. (To...1919, Julia E. Park, Trial for the Murder of the King's English, page 12
    Synonyms:
    that will suffice, okay, that's enough, good
  2. (idiomatic) an interjection used to tell a person or animal to stop what they are doing
    • Your dog should know (at least) how to down, stay, and come, and should also know "That Will Do" (or “OK")..."That Will Do": used to release the dog from work & call it off the stock.2009, Caroline Colie, Australian shepherds : everything about purchase, care, nutrition, behavior, and training, page 80
    • Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.
      “That will do,” he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor.2012, Joanne Rowling, “5, Diagon Alley”, in Harry Potter Omnibus, page 78
    Synonyms:
    stop, heel, alright

Synonyms of that will do

All synonyms of that will do

Forms of that will do

alternative formthat'll do

Questions about that will do

What does that will do mean?
That will do means said to confirm that something is suitable in quantity or in a particular quality.
What part of speech is that will do?
That will do is a phrase.

Words near that will do in the dictionary

  1. that way
  2. that way inclined
  3. that way madness lies
  4. that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger
  5. that which has been seen cannot be unseen
  6. that will do
  7. that'd
  8. that'd've
  9. that'll
  10. that'll be the day
  11. that'll be the frosty Friday

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: that will do (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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