limbo

¹ American  

[lim-boh] / ˈlɪm boʊ /

noun

plural

limbos

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or state of oblivion to which persons or things are regarded as being relegated when cast aside, forgotten, past, or out of date.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

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limbo ² American  

[lim-boh] / ˈlɪm boʊ /

noun

plural

limbos

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.

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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

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limbo ² British  

/ ˈlɪmbəʊ /

noun

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

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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.”

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limbo Idioms  

1. see in limbo.

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Discover More

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

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”; limber ¹

Example Sentences

That means the case now shifts to an appeals court, a process that could take months or even years and leave the Fed in limbo.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Litigation and pressure from the industry and lawmakers delayed for decades the creation of the bulks list, leaving compounders in limbo on scores of substances, not just peptides.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

Deported not to their homelands but to unfamiliar cities deep inside Mexico, thousands of migrants are stranded in a dangerous, bureaucratic limbo with little support and no clear path forward.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

He is being greeted by rising inflation, an oil shock and a confirmation in limbo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

It was power, current, force, direction, a pulseless world-stream steady in limbo.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• oblivion