to do away with
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To abolish, put an end to, destroy entirely.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to do away with” mean?
To abolish, put an end to, destroy entirely.
Is “to do away with” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.