"do the math" meaning in English

See do the math in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-do the math.ogg [Australia], en-us-do the math.ogg [Mid-Atlantic] Forms: does the math [present, singular, third-person], doing the math [participle, present], did the math [past], done the math [participle, past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|do<does,,did,done> the math}} do the math (third-person singular simple present does the math, present participle doing the math, simple past did the math, past participle done the math)
  1. (chiefly US) To perform a mathematical calculation. Tags: US
    Sense id: en-do_the_math-en-verb-Vz-mPm5f
  2. (chiefly US, idiomatic) To determine the explanation for or precise nature of a situation, such as the motive underlying someone's behavior, based on available facts. Tags: US, idiomatic
    Sense id: en-do_the_math-en-verb-ymHHL3ce Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English light verb constructions, English predicates, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 14 86 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 16 84 Disambiguation of English light verb constructions: 24 76 Disambiguation of English predicates: 39 61 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 15 85
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: do the maths [UK] Related terms: crunch numbers Translations (to figure it out yourself): lægge to og to sammen (Danish), päätellä loput (Finnish), se rendre à l’évidence (French), überzeuge dich selbst (German), rechne es dir selbst aus (German), legge sammen to og to (Norwegian Bokmål), fazer as contas (Portuguese), сложи́ть два плюс два (složítʹ dva pljus dva) (Russian), sacar la cuenta (Spanish), hacer números (Spanish), echar números (Spanish), echar cuentas (Spanish)
Disambiguation of 'to figure it out yourself': 0 100

Download JSON data for do the math meaning in English (6.0kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "does the math",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
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    },
    {
      "form": "doing the math",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "did the math",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "done the math",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
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    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "do<does,,did,done> the math"
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      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "53 47",
      "word": "crunch numbers"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
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        {
          "ref": "2002 February 17, Amanda Hesser, “Food Diary: Local Hero”, in New York Times, retrieved 2018-12-18",
          "text": "Before my family left for Rome, I did the math. Over 11 days, with a lunch and a light dinner, each of us could taste approximately 55 dishes.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To perform a mathematical calculation."
      ],
      "id": "en-do_the_math-en-verb-Vz-mPm5f",
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly US) To perform a mathematical calculation."
      ],
      "tags": [
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          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "ref": "2003 November 16, James Poniewozik, “All The News That Fits Your Reality”, in Time, retrieved 2018-12-18",
          "text": "Gore has looked into buying cable channel News World International. Despite initial reports, Gore's camp says he and his backers intend to make the channel not a liberal mouthpiece but a \"hip\" news channel. […] Maybe; maybe not. (Gore has long complained about the undue influence of conservatives on talk radio and Fox News, so you do the math.)",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Racine Lavelle, Embracing the Wolf, page 117",
          "text": "“The child has marks all over. I saw them when I took her to the bathroom. Ian, she is hurting this child. Now I don't know for sure what's going on here, and maybe it's none of my business. Nevertheless, even I can do the math. […] You can't let her keep this child for one more day.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015 December 22, Mitch Smith, “Sandra Bland’s Family Calls for Criminal Charges Against Texas Trooper”, in New York Times, retrieved 2018-12-18",
          "text": "“I can’t tell you what we’re going back to consider,” said Darrell Jordan, a special prosecutor assigned to the case, who cited Texas law regarding grand jury secrecy. “But you can do the math and figure out what it is.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To determine the explanation for or precise nature of a situation, such as the motive underlying someone's behavior, based on available facts."
      ],
      "id": "en-do_the_math-en-verb-ymHHL3ce",
      "links": [
        [
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          "explanation"
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        [
          "motive",
          "motive"
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      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly US, idiomatic) To determine the explanation for or precise nature of a situation, such as the motive underlying someone's behavior, based on available facts."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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      "audio": "en-au-do the math.ogg",
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      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/En-au-do_the_math.ogg",
      "tags": [
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    },
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      "audio": "en-us-do the math.ogg",
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    {
      "_dis1": "53 47",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
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      "word": "do the maths"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "lægge to og to sammen"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "päätellä loput"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "se rendre à l’évidence"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "überzeuge dich selbst"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "rechne es dir selbst aus"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "legge sammen to og to"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "fazer as contas"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "složítʹ dva pljus dva",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "сложи́ть два плюс два"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "sacar la cuenta"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "hacer números"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "echar números"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 100",
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "echar cuentas"
    }
  ],
  "word": "do the math"
}
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    "English light verb constructions",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English predicates",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
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  "forms": [
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      "form": "does the math",
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      "form": "doing the math",
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    {
      "form": "did the math",
      "tags": [
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    {
      "form": "done the math",
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      "name": "en-verb"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "crunch numbers"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2002 February 17, Amanda Hesser, “Food Diary: Local Hero”, in New York Times, retrieved 2018-12-18",
          "text": "Before my family left for Rome, I did the math. Over 11 days, with a lunch and a light dinner, each of us could taste approximately 55 dishes.",
          "type": "quotation"
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      ],
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        "To perform a mathematical calculation."
      ],
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        "(chiefly US) To perform a mathematical calculation."
      ],
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          "ref": "2003 November 16, James Poniewozik, “All The News That Fits Your Reality”, in Time, retrieved 2018-12-18",
          "text": "Gore has looked into buying cable channel News World International. Despite initial reports, Gore's camp says he and his backers intend to make the channel not a liberal mouthpiece but a \"hip\" news channel. […] Maybe; maybe not. (Gore has long complained about the undue influence of conservatives on talk radio and Fox News, so you do the math.)",
          "type": "quotation"
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        {
          "ref": "2012, Racine Lavelle, Embracing the Wolf, page 117",
          "text": "“The child has marks all over. I saw them when I took her to the bathroom. Ian, she is hurting this child. Now I don't know for sure what's going on here, and maybe it's none of my business. Nevertheless, even I can do the math. […] You can't let her keep this child for one more day.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015 December 22, Mitch Smith, “Sandra Bland’s Family Calls for Criminal Charges Against Texas Trooper”, in New York Times, retrieved 2018-12-18",
          "text": "“I can’t tell you what we’re going back to consider,” said Darrell Jordan, a special prosecutor assigned to the case, who cited Texas law regarding grand jury secrecy. “But you can do the math and figure out what it is.”",
          "type": "quotation"
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        "To determine the explanation for or precise nature of a situation, such as the motive underlying someone's behavior, based on available facts."
      ],
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        "(chiefly US, idiomatic) To determine the explanation for or precise nature of a situation, such as the motive underlying someone's behavior, based on available facts."
      ],
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        "US",
        "idiomatic"
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  "sounds": [
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      "tags": [
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      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/En-us-do_the_math.ogg",
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "UK"
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      "word": "do the maths"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "lægge to og to sammen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "päätellä loput"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "se rendre à l’évidence"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "überzeuge dich selbst"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "rechne es dir selbst aus"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "legge sammen to og to"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "fazer as contas"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "složítʹ dva pljus dva",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "сложи́ть два плюс два"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "sacar la cuenta"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "hacer números"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "echar números"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to figure it out yourself",
      "word": "echar cuentas"
    }
  ],
  "word": "do the math"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (93a6c53 and 21a9316). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.