do-it-yourself

noun

do-it-your·​self ˌdü-i-chər-ˈself 

ˌdü-it-yər-

often attributive

: the activity of doing or making something (as in woodworking or home repair) without professional training or assistance

broadly : an activity in which one does something oneself or on one's own initiative

do-it-yourselfer

ˌdü-i-chər-ˈsel-fər 

ˌdü-it-yər-

noun

Examples of do-it-yourself in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So what makes some doctors back a do-it-yourself sleep hack without substantial evidence? —Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025

But for now, the Supreme Court kept intact efforts by the Biden-era Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to combat ghost guns, which are sold as do-it-yourself kits and difficult to trace, in response to an exploding number seized in crimes. —Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 26 Mar. 2025

Sales from do-it-yourself customers account for roughly 70% of Lowe’s sales. —Melissa Repko, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025

The high cost of eggs and the arrival of Spring is generating outsized interest in do-it-yourself chicken farming. —Sal Gilbertie, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for do-it-yourself

• bookshelf
• herself
• himself
• hisself
• itself
• meself
• myself
• nonself
• oneself
• thyself
• yourself
• elf

Kids Definition

do-it-yourself

adjective

do-it-your·​self

ˌdü-ə-chər-ˈself

: of, relating to, or designed for a person without professional training or help to do or make

do-it-yourselfer

-ˈsel-fər

noun