can do with
verb1
No past participle, No present participle, Usually, With could To need; to want; to be in a position to benefit from.
- His hair was thinning and slicked back, and he could have done with a good shave.1996 March, D. William Shunn, “Celestial Mechanics.”, in Fantasy & Science Fiction, volume 90, number 3, page 109:
- A garden can do with a little mystery, which serpentine paths provide.1999 July, Jim McCausland, “Paths of discovery”, in Sunset, volume 203, number 1, page 57:
2 more examples
- In fact, while balking at the cruel burden he had imposed on me, I thought that his mind could do with some improvement2000 Spring, Jervis Anderson, “England in Jamaica.”, in American Scholar, volume 69, number 2, page 15:
- Journalism today could do with a little more attention to principle, a little more concern about ethics.2000 May 17, John Huges, “How do we find what's true?”, in Christian Science Monitor:
- Related terms
- could do with, could do without, can do without, could have done with, could have done without