limbo

¹ American  

[lim-boh] / ˈlɪm boʊ /

noun

limbos plural

1. (often initial capital letter) a region on the border of hell or heaven, serving as the abode after death of unbaptized infants limbo of infants and of the righteous who died before the coming of Christ limbo of the fathers, or limbo of the patriarchs.

2. a place or state of oblivion to which persons or things are regarded as being relegated when cast aside, forgotten, past, or out of date.

   My youthful hopes are in the limbo of lost dreams.

3. an intermediate, transitional, or midway state or place.

4. a place or state of imprisonment or confinement.

---

limbo ² American  

[lim-boh] / ˈlɪm boʊ /

noun

limbos plural

1. a dance from the West Indies, originally for men only, in which the dancer bends backward from the knees and moves with a shuffling step under a horizontal bar that is lowered after each successive pass.

---

limbo ¹ British  

/ ˈlɪmbəʊ /

noun

1. (often capital) RC Church the supposed abode of infants dying without baptism and the just who died before Christ

2. an imaginary place for lost, forgotten, or unwanted persons or things

3. an unknown intermediate place or condition between two extremes

   in limbo

4. a prison or confinement

---

limbo ² British  

/ ˈlɪmbəʊ /

noun

1. a Caribbean dance in which dancers pass, while leaning backwards, under a bar

---

limbo Cultural  

1. In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church regarding the afterlife, the condition of innocent persons who die without benefit of baptism; those in limbo do not suffer damnation, but they do not enjoy the presence of God. Limbo means “a bordering place.”

---

limbo Idioms  

1. see in limbo.

---

Discover More

Figuratively, “limbo” is a state of nonresolution or uncertainty: “Until he receives notice of his new posting, he'll be in limbo.”

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• limbos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of limbo¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Medieval Latin phrase in limbō “on hell's border” ( Latin: “on the edge”), from Latin in “in, on” + limbō, ablative of limbus “edge, border”

Origin of limbo²

First recorded in 1955–60; of disputed origin; perhaps compare Jamaican English limba “to bend; easily bending”; see limber ¹

Explanation

No, this isn’t the dance where you try to squeeze under a pole by leaning backwards, this limbo refers to an imaginary place for lost or forgotten things. It’s where your socks go when you lose them in the dryer. Limbo is originally a Roman Catholic term used to describe a place for infants who die before baptism. In common speech limbo can be used in much the same way as “gray area.” It’s a place where nothing is clear or certain. When the law isn’t clear on a specific issue, then that issue is in “legal limbo.” If there is an election that is so close that no one knows who won, that’s “political limbo.”

Example Sentences

Limbo doesn’t have a ZIP code, but it’s an awfully unsettling place to live.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026

I realized my New York life was Limbo, a suspended place and time marked by loss.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2024

Cavalli opened his first small shop, Limbo, in the French city of Saint-Tropez in 1972.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2024

Churchill suffered its 11th fatality on Friday, May 26 when Lost in Limbo broke down in the seventh race and was unable to stand.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2023

About her feet were the winged heads of angels, the babes of Limbo.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

Related Words

• oblivion