as in disturbances
a state of noisy, confused activity
there was such a to-do when the mice got loose from the science room that I thought the principal was going to close the school
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Recent Examples of to-dos
The most common uses reported were answering etiquette questions, managing timelines and to-dos, writing wedding website copy, and organizing budgets.
—
Shelby Wax, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2026
For a garden with mega color and charm, but with minimal to-dos, look for deer-, drought-, and pest-resistant evergreens and compact flowering shrubs.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
KPIs, BMIs, OKRs, credit scores, savings rates, social media likes, screen time, steps walked, hours worked, hours slept, to-dos done, to-dos still to do, books read, practice hours, blood pressure readings, calories consumed, macronutrient ratios, the list just keeps going.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2026
Owning a home comes with a list of to-dos, including exterior maintenance.
—Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 9 Feb. 2026
There are likely a million different to-dos running through your mind, from researching neighborhoods and clearing out your basement to getting preapproved for a mortgage and finding a realtor to work with.
—Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 19 Jan. 2026
For many people, carving out time to slow down can feel like another obligation in a schedule filled with to-dos.
—Cheyanne Mumphrey, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2026
If a household deep-clean is on your list of 2026 to-dos, then a quality vacuum cleaner is a must.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
That's a pretty significant list of to-dos that need doing and estimates that need finalizing, and some of the specs may ultimately get cut or altered before CTT is ready for production.
—New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
Shelby Wax, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2026
For a garden with mega color and charm, but with minimal to-dos, look for deer-, drought-, and pest-resistant evergreens and compact flowering shrubs.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
KPIs, BMIs, OKRs, credit scores, savings rates, social media likes, screen time, steps walked, hours worked, hours slept, to-dos done, to-dos still to do, books read, practice hours, blood pressure readings, calories consumed, macronutrient ratios, the list just keeps going.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2026
Owning a home comes with a list of to-dos, including exterior maintenance.
—Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 9 Feb. 2026
There are likely a million different to-dos running through your mind, from researching neighborhoods and clearing out your basement to getting preapproved for a mortgage and finding a realtor to work with.
—Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 19 Jan. 2026
For many people, carving out time to slow down can feel like another obligation in a schedule filled with to-dos.
—Cheyanne Mumphrey, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2026
If a household deep-clean is on your list of 2026 to-dos, then a quality vacuum cleaner is a must.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
That's a pretty significant list of to-dos that need doing and estimates that need finalizing, and some of the specs may ultimately get cut or altered before CTT is ready for production.
—New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for to-dos
Noun
-
Meteorologists say a large-scale upper-level trough over the Plains is helping drive a series of disturbances that will move east through the day.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But since that ridge shifted from Northern California in early April, the new pattern has invited multiple low-pressure disturbances into the region.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Over the past year, men’s ski jumping has been marred by Norway’s cheating scandal and more recent genital manipulation rumors, which has become one of the early commotions of the Milano-Cortina Games.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
About two couples, connected and dependent on one another, raising their kids alongside each other, facing the same turmoils, the same existential questions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Mayer and Strong offer a broad pop-history lesson, in which the same tensions and turmoils churn on and on in their terrible cycle throughout the decades; the only thing that’s changed are the aesthetics.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
-
Refrigerated pie crust helps this pie come together with just a few stirs of the whisk.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Break out your 10-gallon hat and boots and get ready for great country music, line dancing, great food and loads of down-home fun.—
Terri Daxon,
Oc Register,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Add on even more fun with a bottle of Summer House Rosé to go.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
It will be built at a 34-degree pitch and extend more than 60 rows to just beneath one of the giant video scoreboards.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
-
Zinc and iron enrichment was present only in the granular rows of the chela, specifically in the jagged, tooth-like bumps called denticles on the movable outer segment.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The first clip showed Duff making cat and bird noises as Townes, who turns 2 on May 3, played with her hair and smiled at the camera.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Plus sundry hallucinations, bad dreams, possession, dark spaces, creepy noises, fraught family relations — and, as with so many horror stories, a bad thing in the past bringing down the future.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some storms could produce hail larger than 3 inches in diameter, especially with stronger rotating cells.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Hail damage contributed to $51 billion in insured losses last year from severe storms, according to the Insurance Information Institute.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“To-dos.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/to-dos. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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