SpeakUp

do away with — abolish or remove

phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutraloccasional

to get rid of something or stop using it, especially something that is no longer needed or wanted.

Say it like a native

Textbook The committee voted to abolish the regulation.

Native They decided to do away with the rule.

'Abolish' is fine but formal/legal; 'do away with' is the conversational version.

Pattern: do away with + noun

In use

  • Many companies want to do away with paper documents and switch to digital files.work
  • In my opinion, schools should do away with unnecessary exams so that students can focus more on practical skills.IELTS speaking

Common mistake

✗ They did away the old system.

✓ They did away with the old system.

Always 'do away WITH'.

Common collocations

  • do away with — the rule, tradition, altogether, the need for

Don't confuse it

Not the same as 'get away with', which means to avoid punishment.

Practice speaking with instant AI feedback →