draw the line at

Idioms  

1. Refuse to go any further than, as in I draw the line at giving them more money. This expression alludes to a line drawn at a stopping point of some kind. [Late 1700s]

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Example Sentences

But some draw the line at design and creation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

A 10% decline should be easy to handle, but some investors draw the line at 5%.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

"Although I do draw the line at certain Christmas songs being played too early, I think they should be banned."

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2025

But they draw the line at using distillation to produce or improve competing products — such as R1, a potential competitor for OpenAI’s ChatGPT models.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2025

No, there wasn't much he'd draw the line at.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie