do to death

do to death

English

Verb

do to death (third-person singular simple present does to death, present participle doing to death, simple past did to death, past participle done to death)

1. Of a trope, joke, topic, idea, etc, to use so often that it becomes trite.

   It's hard to find novel screenplays. All the usual stories have been done to death.

   • 2023 January 27, Battleship New Jersey, Maintaining Your Battleship: Jan 2023 Update‎, 4:07 from the start:

     If you're interested in the process we're using for redecking the ship, we've absolutely done that to death. There's links to several different videos in the description below.

2. (obsolete) To put to death.
   • 1593, anonymous, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act IV:

     So will I not […] Behold ſo many of my country men,
     All done to death and ſtrangled in one day, […]

Usage notes

Sense 1 is usually seen in passive or past perfect constructions (e.g. "done to death.")