"do the needful" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "does the needful",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "doing the needful",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "did the needful",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "done the needful",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "do<does,,did,done> the needful"
      },
      "expansion": "do the needful (third-person singular simple present does the needful, present participle doing the needful, simple past did the needful, past participle done the needful)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English sentences",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Indian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Nigerian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1817, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 2, in Rob Roy, volume 1, Edinburgh: James Ballantyne and Co., published 1818, page 24:",
          "text": "My father had, generally speaking, his temper under complete self command, and his anger rarely indicated itself by words, except in a sort of dry testy manner to those who had displeased him. He never used threats or expressions of loud resentment. All was arranged with him on system and it was his practice to \"do the needful\" on every occasion, without wasting words about it.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 November 3, Seun Opejobi, quoting Rev. Divine Okwara, “Biafra: Prophet Okwara reveals how Buhari can ‘kill’ agitation for Igbo nation”, in Daily Post (Nigeria):",
          "text": "The best way to handle Biafra agitation is through a round table, dialogue with them since they feel they are not well treated. These people are hungry. Let the president do the needful by calling them to order, call the youth to order.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To do that which is necessary or required."
      ],
      "id": "en-do_the_needful-en-verb-ylsX5M7t",
      "links": [
        [
          "do",
          "do"
        ],
        [
          "necessary",
          "necessary"
        ],
        [
          "required",
          "required"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(India, Nigeria, dated UK) To do that which is necessary or required."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "do the right thing"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "India",
        "Nigeria",
        "UK",
        "dated"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "do the needful"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "does the needful",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "doing the needful",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "did the needful",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "done the needful",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "do<does,,did,done> the needful"
      },
      "expansion": "do the needful (third-person singular simple present does the needful, present participle doing the needful, simple past did the needful, past participle done the needful)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "do the right thing"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English dated terms",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English sentences",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Indian English",
        "Nigerian English",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1817, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 2, in Rob Roy, volume 1, Edinburgh: James Ballantyne and Co., published 1818, page 24:",
          "text": "My father had, generally speaking, his temper under complete self command, and his anger rarely indicated itself by words, except in a sort of dry testy manner to those who had displeased him. He never used threats or expressions of loud resentment. All was arranged with him on system and it was his practice to \"do the needful\" on every occasion, without wasting words about it.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 November 3, Seun Opejobi, quoting Rev. Divine Okwara, “Biafra: Prophet Okwara reveals how Buhari can ‘kill’ agitation for Igbo nation”, in Daily Post (Nigeria):",
          "text": "The best way to handle Biafra agitation is through a round table, dialogue with them since they feel they are not well treated. These people are hungry. Let the president do the needful by calling them to order, call the youth to order.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To do that which is necessary or required."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "do",
          "do"
        ],
        [
          "necessary",
          "necessary"
        ],
        [
          "required",
          "required"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(India, Nigeria, dated UK) To do that which is necessary or required."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "India",
        "Nigeria",
        "UK",
        "dated"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "do the needful"
}