due diligence

[ doo dil-i-juhns, dyoo ]

noun

, Law, Business.

1. reasonable care and caution exercised by a person who is buying, selling, giving professional advice, etc., especially as required by law to protect against incurring liability:

   The court said there was due diligence on the part of the plaintiff.

2. the process of gathering or disclosing relevant and reliable information about a prospective sale, purchase, contract, etc.:

   You should perform due diligence on a company before investing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of due diligence¹

First recorded in 1450–1500, for the earlier sense “requisite effort”; 1785–90, for the current sense

Example Sentences

The charity said that their head, Fearghal McKinney, had a phone call with O'Neill in which she "agreed recent comments by her and party colleagues questioning the BHF’s due diligence process were unhelpful".

From BBC

But she also worries that in today’s polarized climate, election officials doing their due diligence to properly count the vote will be misinterpreted as opportunities for fraud.

From Los Angeles Times

He said it was "really, really essential" buyers did "due diligence" and got any promises from salespeople in writing.

From BBC

But following the social media storm the show created, she changed her mind, saying on Sunday: "After more reflection, due diligence and listening to many of your opinions, I will not be investing in Bobba Tea."

From BBC

The venture capitalist ultimately offered Fiset and Frenette $1 million for 18% of Bobba but days after the episode aired announced that, “After more reflection, due diligence and listening to many of your opinions, I will not be investing in Bobba Tea.”

From Los Angeles Times