do's and don'ts

Idioms  

1. Rules or customs concerning some activity, as in It's important to know the do's and don'ts of diplomatic receptions. This expression alludes to what one should and should not do or say. [c. 1900]

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Example Sentences

Here are some do’s and don’ts to remember when using AI for performance reviews:

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

"Did she think she had the right to do that? Did her production team tell her what the do's and don'ts were?"

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

The DMA is part of the European Union's bolstered legal armoury that seeks to make the digital sphere fairer with a list of do's and don'ts for Big Tech.

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

There’s plenty of online discourse about first date do’s and don’ts — especially when it comes to where a first date should take place.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2024

It is an all-encompassing worldview, a set of values, a code of conduct, a list of goals, aspirations, fantasies and preferences and a catalog of moral do's and don'ts.

From Russian Roulette: Russia's Economy in Putin's Era by Vaknin, Samuel