limit switch

noun

1. a switch that automatically cuts off current to an electric motor when an object moved by it, as an elevator, has passed a given point.

Word History and Origins

Origin of limit switch¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Meanwhile the Welsh Conservatives want the health budget ring-fenced and have criticised spending on "vanity projects" like the 20mph speed limit switch, and Senedd reform.

Read more on BBC

If our booming economy has a limit switch, it is congestion.

Read more on Seattle Times