doing the job

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiominformal

   working well enough to achieve what is needed, even if not perfectly.

   Grammar: Used after be or seem: The old printer is still doing the job.

   Patterns

   • something is doing the job
   • doing the job for someone

   My old laptop is slow, but it's still doing the job for writing emails.

   We don't need a fancy new system; the current one is doing the job.

   A simple bandage was doing the job until the doctor arrived.

2. 2phraseidiom

   performing a particular task or duty, especially at work.

   Grammar: Often followed by of or as: doing the job of manager.

   Patterns

   • doing the job of something
   • doing the job as something

   She's doing the job of two people since the office cut staff.

   He's doing the job as head of sales until they hire someone permanent.

Common combinations

still doing the job

This ten-year-old fridge is still doing the job.

doing the job perfectly

The new software is doing the job perfectly.

doing the job for now

It's not ideal, but it's doing the job for now.

more than doing the job

For a free app, it's more than doing the job.

Synonyms and how they differ

effective

More formal and focuses on producing the intended result; use it in reports or academic writing.

adequate

Means good enough but not excellent; it sounds slightly negative compared with doing the job.

up to the job

Means capable of doing a task, often about a person; doing the job describes the thing or person already working well.

Opposites

Word family

do verb

The base verb meaning to perform an action or task.

job noun

A task or piece of work, or paid employment.

Commonly confused: doing the job or doing a job?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “doing the job”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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