What Do You Do? How Do You Do? | Britannica Dictionary

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The Britannica Dictionary Ask the Editor What do you do? How do you do? Question What is the difference between "What do you do?" and "How do you do?" — Rocky , India Answer

"What do you do" is a way to ask someone what their job is or what they do for a living. It is a polite question to ask when you first meet someone, or when you are getting to know someone new, or when you haven't seen someone for a long time. Here are some other ways to ask the same question:

"What do you do for a living?'

"So what do you do for work?

"What line of work are you in?"

"Where do you work?"

"Where are you working now?"

"How do you do" is a formal greeting used in the same way as "It's a pleasure to meet you" or "Pleased to meet you." In a casual situation it would be better to say "It's nice to meet you" or just "Hello."

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