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or state of oblivion to which persons or things are regarded as being relegated when cast aside, forgotten, past, or out of date.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

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

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

The family’s future is in limbo as Jeanie Buss contests her five siblings’ plans to sell their remaining stake of the team.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

“Multiple people need access to that data, so we’re all in limbo until I fly back,” he said.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

Amira and her child remain in Darfur - and therefore in administrative limbo.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

In a kind of legal limbo, other ex-fighters in the special zone attempt to finish their high-school education while they await clarity.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Her marriage with Howard settled into a state of limbo, never together but never completely apart either.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

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

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

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 14, 2016

The adventure set up in Telltale's original Game of Thrones continues in the difficult, if slow-moving, Lost Lords, where players must survive drunk limbos with Tyrion and lend an ear to Asher Forrester.

From The Verge ● Feb. 7, 2015

She was still in the limbos of primitivism.

From By the Light of the Soul A Novel by Harold M. Brett

Related Words

• oblivion