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or state of oblivion to which persons or things are regarded as being relegated when cast aside, forgotten, past, or out of date.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

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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.

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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.”

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• limbos
  plural

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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

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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

See Examples For:

limbo limbos

May angels accompany Pope Leo’s mail-in ballot from the Vatican to the proper Chicago precinct so it doesn’t get sequestered in permanent limbo by the Justice Department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

That limbo, which for some of the named plaintiffs has lasted more than a year, has prevented them from moving forward in other ways in their financial lives, attorneys for the borrowers say.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

But this remains in limbo after days of exhaustive deliberations.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

The deal—which was in limbo for nearly two years following a challenge from Exxon—was transformative.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

And then for the first time in months, after being in limbo all that time, everything stopped.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

The four teams have a cumulative winning percentage of .284, which easily limbos under the all-time low-mark of .344 set by the NFC West in 2008.

From Slate ● Nov. 17, 2020

Beyond censorship issues, very few prints tend to be struck in the first place and independent low-budget productions are often plagued by copyright limbos and distribution problems.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 13, 2018

Rendered in English, Spanish, sign language and gobbledygook, the dialogue and lyrics of “Runaways” are the universal vernacular of people trapped in that most painful of limbos, the period between childhood and adulthood.

From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2016

In several images, key figures are “spot-lit” while their companions occupy gray limbos.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 14, 2016

He had wanted me to go to his Adirondack lodge, instead, and resigned me into Mr. Richards' care at the settlement as if he were consigning me reluctantly to one of the Inferno's inner limbos.

From The Seven-Branched Candlestick The Schooldays of Young American Jew by Gilbert W.

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