Meaning & use
doth
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“doth” is a form of “do”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitivearchaic
An old form of 'do' used with 'he', 'she', or 'it' in the third person singular.
Grammar: Replaced by 'does' in modern English; used only in old texts, poetry, or for a deliberately old-fashioned effect.
Patterns
- he doth
- she doth
- it doth
- doth he ...?
He doth protest too much.
The moon doth shine as bright as day.
Doth she not know the truth?
Word forms
| base form | do |
|---|---|
| third person singular (modern) | does |
| past tense | did |
| past participle | done |
| -ing form | doing |
Common combinations
- he doth
- He doth speak the truth.
- she doth
- She doth sing sweetly.
- doth not
- It doth not matter now.
Synonyms and how they differ
- does
- The modern third-person singular form; use this in everyday speech and writing.
Word family
Commonly confused: doth or dost? doth or does?
doth vs dost
'Doth' goes with he/she/it, while 'dost' goes with thou.
doth vs does
The modern equivalent; 'doth' sounds archaic and is not used in normal conversation.
Practice
In modern English, which word would replace 'doth' in 'He doth know'?
Choose one answer.
'Doth' is the archaic third-person singular, so it corresponds to modern 'does'. 'Do' is used with I/you/we/they, 'did' is past tense, and 'done' is the past participle.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “doth”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.