boundary

[ boun-duh-ree, -dree ]

See synonyms for: boundary boundaries on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural bound·a·ries.

something that indicates bounds or limits; a limiting or bounding line.
Also called frontier .Mathematics. the collection of all points of a given set having the property that every neighborhood of each point contains points in the set and in the complement of the set.

Cricket. a hit in which the ball reaches or crosses the boundary line of the field on one or more bounces, counting four runs for the batsman.: Compare six (def. 5).

Origin of boundary

First recorded in 1620–30; bound³ + -ary

synonym study For boundary

1. Boundary, border, frontier share the sense of that which divides one entity or political unit from another. Boundary, in reference to a country, city, state, territory, or the like, most often designates a line on a map: boundaries are shown in red. Occasionally, it also refers to a physical feature that marks the agreed-upon line separating two political units: The Niagara River forms part of the boundary between the United States and Canada. Border is more often used than boundary in direct reference to a political dividing line; it may also refer to the region (of, for instance, a country) adjoining the actual line of demarcation: crossing the Mexican border; border towns along the Rio Grande. Frontier may refer to a political dividing line: crossed the Spanish frontier on Tuesday. It may also denote or describe the portion of a country adjoining its border with another country ( towns in the Polish frontier ) or, especially in North America, the most remote settled or occupied parts of a country: the frontier towns of the Great Plains. Frontier, especially in the plural, also refers to the most advanced or newest activities in an area of knowledge or practice: the frontiers of nuclear medicine.

Other words for boundary

1	bound, limit

See synonyms for boundary on Thesaurus.com

Other words from boundary

trans·bound·a·ry, adjective

Words Nearby boundary

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

How to use boundary in a sentence

It’s not the first well-funded social media app to push the boundaries of data privacy.
You’ve been invited to Clubhouse. Your privacy hasn’t. | Sara Morrison | February 12, 2021 | Vox
More than a healthy workplaceFlexibility extends beyond the boundaries of the physical work environment.
Future of Work Forum recap: Coronavirus crisis forcing leadership to evolve | Digiday Editors | February 12, 2021 | Digiday
Creators will inevitably try to push the boundaries of what these humans look like.
Meet the eerily realistic digital people made with Epic’s MetaHuman Creator | Stan Horaczek | February 11, 2021 | Popular-Science
Redistricting – the once-a-decade process of redrawing political boundaries – is a complex undertaking, laden with jargon and acronyms that can confuse even most political observers.
African Communities Warn Language Issues Could Shut Them Out of Redistricting | Maya Srikrishnan | February 10, 2021 | Voice of San Diego
This year, we can expect to see a newly energized community of developers working across the boundaries of companies, states and countries to take on some of the world’s biggest problems.
The rise of the activist developer | Walter Thompson | February 9, 2021 | TechCrunch

First you have to convince people to accept your version of the boundary between law and politics.
A Reminder: Our Justices are Politicians in Robes | Jedediah Purdy | November 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
We need to take a razor and make a boundary in the shaving foam, people.
Leo, the Beard Has to Go: When a Man’s Facial Hair Reaches Crisis Point | Tim Teeman | September 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the new paper, Laniakea is defined by a gravitational boundary.
Laniakea: The Milky Way’s Place in the Heavens | Matthew R. Francis | September 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
We also need to cross the boundary between environmental and non-environmental issues.
Green Politics Has to Get More Radical, Because Anything Less Is Impractical | Jedediah Purdy | April 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The real Watson was a sociopathic landowner in southwest Florida where land and water know no fixed boundary.
Peter Matthiessen Was One of the Greatest Writers of a Great Generation | Malcolm Jones | April 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Nearly all the mutineers swung round and galloped headlong for the landward boundary of the paddy field.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
boundary line between New York and Massachusetts agreed upon.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
Now they are approaching the long row of noble beeches that line the boundary of Mortlake.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
As the car rolled on toward Manhattan's northern boundary, the woman with the green eyes switched on the radio on the dash.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942 | Various
A large stone set in a secure place surely is a better boundary than a wayward stream whose course is changed by every freshet.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bolles

British Dictionary definitions for boundary

boundary

/ (ˈbaʊndərɪ, -drɪ) /

nounplural -ries

something that indicates the farthest limit, as of an area; border
cricket
- the marked limit of the playing area
- a stroke that hits the ball beyond this limit
- the four runs scored with such a stroke, or the six runs if the ball crosses the boundary without touching the ground

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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