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Synonyms

boundary

American  
[boun-duh-ree, -dree] / ˈbaʊn də ri, -dri /

noun

plural

boundaries
  1. a line or limit where one thing ends and another begins, or something that indicates such a line or limit.

    The ancient wall still serves as the city's outer boundary.

    These studies straddle the boundaries between computational and social sciences.

    Synonyms:
    limit, bound
  2. a limit that separates acceptable behavior from unacceptable behavior.

    I'm just looking for a partner who can respect my boundaries.

    Guiding children toward responsible money habits requires setting boundaries.

  3. Also called frontierMathematics. 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.

  4. 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.


boundary British  
/ -drɪ, ˈbaʊndərɪ /

noun

  1. something that indicates the farthest limit, as of an area; border

  2. cricket

    1. the marked limit of the playing area

    2. a stroke that hits the ball beyond this limit

    3. 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

Related Words

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 Word Forms

  • transboundary adjective

Etymology

Origin of boundary

First recorded in 1620–30; bound 3 + -ary

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.

This instability at the boundary creates what scientists call structural "frustration," where the system cannot settle into a simple, stable pattern.

From Science Daily

Yet the group also ventured into deeper territory — boundaries, mental health, body image and community.

From Los Angeles Times

While some of the country’s islands were within the boundaries of the designated debris zone, most were not.

From Salon

They can be used, for example, to help solve classic boundary value problems such as the Dirichlet problem or the Neumann problem.

From Science Daily

This has led to more frequent clashes with Greece and Cyprus over exclusive economic zones and continental shelf boundaries.

From The Wall Street Journal