Dislike Doing vs. Dislike To Do
Cambridge gives dislike + -ing in its dictionary examples and places dislike among verbs normally followed by -ing rather than a to-infinitive. Like, love and hate have separate reviewed patterns that can permit both forms; those patterns should not be transferred automatically to dislike.
Use “dislike doing” for a direct verb complement in the reviewed standard pattern; do not substitute “dislike to do” as though it were the same construction.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| dislike is followed directly by an activity | dislike doing something | Use the -ing complement in the reviewed standard pattern. |
| dislike is followed by a thing, person, or idea | dislike + noun / noun phrase | Use the noun phrase directly. |
| a to-infinitive is proposed as an interchangeable direct complement | do not substitute dislike to do | The reviewed verb-pattern guidance supports dislike + -ing for this use. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does “dislike” directly introduce the activity that the subject does not like?
If yes: Use “dislike doing …”.
If no: If the complement is a noun, use the noun phrase; do not assume a to-infinitive is an equivalent activity pattern.
Caveat: Choose by the documented meaning or construction; a different pattern may be valid in a different sentence structure, region, or register.
Examples
I dislike waiting in long queues.
The activity directly complements “dislike,” so the -ing form fits.
She dislikes noisy meetings.
A noun phrase can directly follow “dislike.”
They dislike working late on Fridays.
The direct activity complement uses the -ing form.
Further guidance
Boundary
Like, love and hate have separate reviewed patterns that can permit both forms; those patterns should not be transferred automatically to dislike.
Construction
Cambridge gives dislike + -ing in its dictionary examples and places dislike among verbs normally followed by -ing rather than a to-infinitive.
Decision
Use “dislike doing” for a direct verb complement in the reviewed standard pattern; do not substitute “dislike to do” as though it were the same construction.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- dislike — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Dislike + -ing pattern in current dictionary usage
- Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing? (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Verb-complement patterns, including verbs taking -ing, to-infinitive, or both with meaning differences