Meaning & use
do the chores
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Meaning
phraseidiom
to complete the regular household jobs such as cleaning, washing, and tidying.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase: you do the chores, and a person does the chores.
Patterns
- do the chores
- do the chores for someone
- do the chores together
I have to do the chores before I can go out with my friends.
On Saturdays, we do the chores as a family: I vacuum and my brother washes the dishes.
She was tired after doing the chores all morning.
Common combinations
- do the chores
- Please do the chores before dinner.
- household chores
- Household chores include dusting and laundry.
- share the chores
- My roommate and I share the chores equally.
- daily chores
- Feeding the dog is one of my daily chores.
- a list of chores
- Mom left a list of chores on the fridge.
Synonyms and how they differ
- do the housework
- This is more common in British English and usually means cleaning and tidying, not other jobs like laundry.
- run errands
- This means going out to do tasks like shopping or posting letters, not jobs inside the home.
Word family
- chore noun
- A single regular job, especially in a house.
- chore list noun
- A written list of jobs to be done.
Commonly confused: do the chores or make the bed?
do the chores vs make the bed
People say 'make the bed', not 'do the bed'. But you 'do the dishes' and 'do the laundry'.
Practice
My sister and I ___ the chores every weekend.
Choose one answer.
The correct verb is 'do': do the chores. 'Make' is used for things you create, like 'make the bed' or 'make dinner'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “do the chores”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.