Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

do a number on

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.52 in modern English

Syllables: do a num-ber on
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To damage, especially to a significant extent; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects in.

Informal

Example Sentences

"Your harsh words could do a number on my mental health."
"He's a mean boss who really does a number on his employees."
"Years of smoking did a number on her lungs."
"Last night, Harris went the distance and did a number on the Falcons, running for a career-high 141 yards while carrying the ball more often than he ever has."
"Hopes have faded lately on Wall Street. . . . "This market is really doing a number on both professionals and the public alike," said Sam Weinstein in his investment advisory letter."
"All-night caffeine-fueled video game binges do "a number on your body," says Essenburg."

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

does a number on (present, singular) doing a number on (participle, present) did a number on (past) done a number on (participle, past)

Synonyms

take its toll

Questions

What does do a number on mean?: To damage, especially to a significant extent; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects in.

How to pronounce do a number on

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “do a number on”.
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