delimit
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has delimitedperfect 3rd person singular
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have delimitedperfect
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is delimitingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are delimitingprogressive
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have been delimitingperfect progressive
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has been delimitingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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delimitingparticiple
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am delimitingprogressive 1st person singular
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delimitssingular 3rd person
Past
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had delimitedperfect
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had been delimitingperfect progressive
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was delimitingprogressive singular
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delimitedsimple
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delimitedparticiple
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were delimitingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of delimit
1850–55; < French délimiter < Latin dēlīmitāre, equivalent to dē- de- + līmitāre to limit
Explanation
When you set the boundaries of something, you delimit it. Suburban homeowners often delimit their property lines with tall privacy fences. You can literally delimit something, the way you might delimit the boundaries of your airplane seat by planting your elbow on the armrest. There is also a figurative way to delimit, like when you delimit your summer schedule in an attempt to keep your cousin from visiting you for a month. Delimit comes from the Latin delimitare, "to mark out as a boundary."
Vocabulary lists containing delimit
Engineering - Introductory
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Engineering: Defining Problems and Designing Solutions - Introductory
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Engineering: Defining Problems and Designing Solutions - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Congress took steps to delimit presidential discretion, the court said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
One can see this playing out today in the rules for citizenship, voting and other mechanisms that serve to define and delimit participation in democratic politics.
From Salon • Jul. 22, 2023
The two men also agreed that by the end of April they would set up a bilateral commission to delimit the joint border, the statement said.
From Reuters • Apr. 6, 2022
The IOC’s new guidelines delimit when and where Olympians can “express their views.”
From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2021
The second is missing the commas that delimit the phrases making up the list of inspirations: cooking, her family, and her dog.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
