ambit

[ am-bit ]

See synonyms for ambit on Thesaurus.com

noun

a sphere of operation or influence; range; scope: the ambit of such an action.
boundary; limit.

circumference; circuit.

Origin of ambit

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin ambitus “a going around,” equivalent to amb- ambi- + itus “a going” (i- (stem of īre to go) + -tus suffix of verb action)

Words Nearby ambit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ambit in a sentence

They have come within the ambit of law enforcement by violating some law: drunk driving for example.
Fight Gangs by Enforcing Immigration | David Frum | July 11, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
This approach easily sweeps Assange and WikiLeaks into its ambit.
The Espionage Case Against Assange | Stephen L. Carter | December 1, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Whether they are in the ambit covered by Madoff's alleged help to the SEC is not publicly known.
Ruth's Secret Stash | Allan Dodds Frank | March 15, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
Against this it was maintained that Kimberley was outside the ambit of the army's high and mighty consideration.
The Siege of Kimberley | T. Phelan
The correctional courts mentioned deal with the graver offences which are outside the ambit of the juge de paix.
France | Gordon Cochrane Home

I saw for the first time an horizon as an arc suggesting how wide is our ambit.
The Sea and the Jungle | H. M. Tomlinson
This simile to Nonconformity also holds good a little when we seek to ascertain the ambit of Richardson's popularity.
Res Judicat | Augustine Birrell
The whole surface of my ambit was spread out like a miniature map in my eye, and continues to be.
Confessions of Boyhood | John Albee

British Dictionary definitions for ambit

ambit

/ (ˈæmbɪt) /

noun

scope or extent
limits, boundary, or circumference

Origin of ambit

C16: from Latin ambitus a going round, from ambīre to go round, from ambi- + īre to go

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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