the limit

Idioms  

1. The most extreme; someone or something that irritates, delights, or surprises to the ultimate degree. For example, Hiring and firing someone the same day—that's the limit in employee relations! or That excuse of yours for missing the wedding, that's the limit, or He's done wonders before but this last one is the limit. This idiom uses limit as “the last possible point or boundary.” [Colloquial; c. 1900]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

the limit

“I asked why the limit was so low, but they couldn’t give me an explanation.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Spain’s firefighting resources are already stretched to the limit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The sky was the limit for turning offices into apartments – until some columns buckled.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

However, drinks including Red Bull, Monster, Relentless and Prime would all breach the limit.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

It’s like that song lyric she quoted in one of her videos: “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• exuberance
• glut
• overkill
• surplus
• waste