do the dishes — wash the dishes
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to wash plates, cups, and other kitchen items after a meal.
Say it like a native
Textbook I shall cleanse the crockery after dinner.
Native I'll do the dishes after dinner.
'Cleanse the crockery' is bizarre; people 'do the dishes' / 'wash up'.
Pattern: do the dishes
In use
- I usually do the dishes right after dinner.daily life
- In my family, we all share the housework. For example, I often do the dishes while my brother takes out the rubbish.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ It's your turn to make the dishes.
✓ It's your turn to do the dishes.
'Do the dishes' — not 'make'.
Common collocations
do the dishes— wash up, your turn, after dinner, a pile of
Don't confuse it
‘Do the dishes’ is more common in spoken English than ‘wash the dishes.’