phrasal verb🧩 phrasal verb

do away with

to abolish or eliminate

What it means

To get rid of something completely, especially a rule, custom, or system. It is inseparable and slightly formal, appearing often in news, debate, and policy contexts.

Examples

  • The school has done away with strict uniform rules this year.
  • Many countries have done away with the death penalty.
  • It's time we did away with this outdated procedure.
  • They did away with the paper forms and moved everything online.

Where it comes from

An English phrase used since the 1500s, where 'do' carries the older sense of 'put' or 'place' — literally 'put away with' (set aside permanently). An older, darker sense meaning 'to kill' still survives in crime fiction.

Related phrasal verbs

#get rid of#cut back on#throw away#call off

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