Meaning & use
to do with
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Connected with or related to something.
Grammar: Used after 'have' or 'be': the problem has to do with money.
Patterns
- have something to do with something
- have to do with something
- be to do with something
Her bad mood has to do with the argument she had this morning.
The delay has nothing to do with the weather; it was a computer problem.
What does this strange noise have to do with the engine?
phrasefixed phrase
Concerned with or about a particular subject.
Grammar: Often used in questions and negative sentences with 'have': What has that got to do with it?
Patterns
- have to do with something
- what has something to do with something
This chapter has to do with the history of the city.
What does your question have to do with the topic we are discussing?
His research has to do with how children learn languages.
phrasefixed phrase
Used after 'nothing' or 'anything' to mean no connection or any connection.
Grammar: Common in 'nothing to do with' and 'anything to do with': That has nothing to do with me.
Patterns
- nothing to do with someone
- anything to do with something
- something to do with something
I want nothing to do with that plan; it sounds dishonest.
Do you have anything to do with the new project?
The decision has nothing to do with me; the manager made it alone.
Common combinations
- have nothing to do with
- She wants nothing to do with the old company.
- have something to do with
- His headache has something to do with stress.
- have to do with
- The book has to do with ancient Rome.
- nothing to do with me
- The mistake has nothing to do with me.
- what has that got to do with
- What has that got to do with our plan?
Synonyms and how they differ
- be connected with
- This is more formal and focuses on a link between things, while 'to do with' is more conversational.
- concern
- 'Concern' is a verb and sounds more formal; use it when you mean a subject is about something.
- relate to
- This suggests a logical or family connection and is often used in academic writing.
Commonly confused: to do with or to do?
to do with vs to do
'To do' is the infinitive of the verb 'do', while 'to do with' is a fixed phrase meaning 'connected with'. Compare: I have work to do. / The problem has to do with work.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'to do with' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'To do with' needs the preposition 'with' after it. 'Has to do with' means 'is connected with'. The other options use the wrong preposition or drop 'with'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to do with”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.