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- do away with
do away with
do away with (oneself)
Euph. to commit suicide. The doctor was afraid that Betty would do away with herself. I wouldn't think of doing away with myself.
do away with something
to get rid of something. This chemical will do away with the stain in your sink. The time has come to do away with that old building.
do away with somebody
to remove someone from a position or job Blake was disliked by everyone in the office, and Morse did away with him by firing him.
do away with something
1. to remove or destroy something New treatments for your teeth should do away with the dentist's drill – no more cavities, no more pain!
2. to kill an animal The hunter did away with the injured rabbit.
do away with
1. Make an end of, eliminate. For example, The town fathers have decided to do away with the old lighting system.
2. Demolish, destroy, kill, as in The animal officer did away with the injured deer lying by the side of the road. In the 13th century both usages were simply put as do away, the with being added only in the late 1700s.
do away with
1. To make an end of; eliminate.
2. To destroy; kill.