Standard Lemma guide

doer

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈduː.ə/
  • Received-Pronunciation: [ˈdʊu̯.ə]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈdu.ɚ/
  • General-American: [ˈdʊu̯.ɚ] ~ [ˈdʊu̯.ɹ̩]
  • rhymes with -uːə(ɹ)
  • homophone: dewar
  • homophone: Dewar (US, Canada, yod-dropping)
  • CMU ARPABET: D UW1 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone who does, performs, or executes; an active person, an agent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a doer of good

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: doee, patient, idler, bum, couch potato, dawdler, deadbeat, dogfucker, do-naught, do-nothing, dosser, idleton, faineant, flaneur, footler, get-nothing, good-for-nothing, goldbricker, goof-off, lallygag, lollygagger, laggard, layabout, lazy ass, lazybones, lazy louse, lidderon, lie-abed, loafer, loiter-sack, lounge lizard, lounger, morepork, ne'er-do-well, poop, ragabash, shirker, skiver, slacker, slob, slow belly, slug, slugabed, slug-a-bed, slugabug, sluggabed, sluggard, sofa spud, tarrier, truant, wasteman, waster, wastrel

2

noun

Meaning 2

a person who acts and gets things done

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he's a principal actor in this affair
  • when you want something done get a doer
  • he's a miracle worker

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: actor, worker

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul

Narrower terms: demon, eager beaver, busy bee, live wire, sharpie, sharpy, energizer, energiser, vitalizer, vitaliser, animator, go-getter, whizz-kid, whiz-kid, ball of fire, man of action, man of deeds, powerhouse, human dynamo, fireball

History

Etymology

From Middle English doer, doar, doere, from Old English dōere (“a doer; worker”), equivalent to do + -er.

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Aghwan: 𐔱𐔰𐔰𐔾 (baal) — someone who does
  • Arabic: فَاعِل (fāʕil) — someone who does
  • Arabic: فَاعِلَة (fāʕila) — someone who does
  • Azerbaijani: edən — someone who does
  • Belarusian: выкана́ўца (vykanáwca) — someone who does
  • Belarusian: выкана́вец (vykanávjec) — someone who does
  • Belarusian: дзе́яч (dzjéjač) — someone who does
  • Belarusian: дзе́ячка (dzjéjačka) — someone who does
  • Bulgarian: извърши́тел (izvǎršítel) — someone who does
  • Bulgarian: извърши́телка (izvǎršítelka) — someone who does
  • Bulgarian: де́ятел (déjatel) — someone who does
  • Bulgarian: де́ятелка (déjatelka) — someone who does
  • French: faiseur — someone who does
  • French: faiseuse — someone who does
  • Galician: facedor — someone who does
  • German: Macher — someone who does
  • German: Macherin — someone who does
  • Hindi: कर्ता (kartā) — someone who does
  • Middle English: doer — someone who does
  • Portuguese: fazedor — someone who does
  • Portuguese: fazedora — someone who does
  • Russian: исполни́тель (ispolnítelʹ) — someone who does
  • Russian: исполни́тельница (ispolnítelʹnica) — someone who does
  • Russian: де́ятель (déjatelʹ) — someone who does
  • Russian: де́ятельница (déjatelʹnica) — someone who does
  • Sanskrit: कर्तृ (kartṛ) — someone who does
  • Spanish: hacedor — someone who does
  • Spanish: facedor — someone who does
  • Spanish: haciente (disused) — someone who does
  • Swedish: görare — someone who does
  • Tocharian B: yāmätstse — someone who does
  • Turkish: eden — someone who does
  • Turkish: fail — someone who does
  • Turkish: yapan — someone who does
  • Udi: бал (bal) — someone who does
  • Ukrainian: викона́вець (vykonávecʹ) — someone who does
  • Ukrainian: викона́виця (vykonávycja) — someone who does
  • Ukrainian: дія́ч (dijáč) — someone who does
  • Ukrainian: дія́чка (dijáčka) — someone who does