limit

American  

[lim-it] / ˈlɪm ɪt /

noun

• limits
  plural

1. the final, utmost, or furthest boundary or point as to extent, amount, continuance, procedure, etc.: the limit of vision.

   the limit of his experience;

   the limit of vision.

2. a boundary or bound, as of a country, area, or district.

   Synonyms:

   border, frontier, confines

3. Mathematics.

   1. a number such that the value of a given function remains arbitrarily close to this number when the independent variable is sufficiently close to a specified point or is sufficiently large. The limit of 1/ x is zero as x approaches infinity; the limit of (x − 1) 2 is zero as x approaches 1.

   2. a number such that the absolute value of the difference between terms of a given sequence and the number approaches zero as the index of the terms increases to infinity.

   3. one of two numbers affixed to the integration symbol for a definite integral, indicating the interval or region over which the integration is taking place and substituted in a primitive, if one exists, to evaluate the integral.

4. limits, the premises or region enclosed within boundaries.

   We found them on school limits after hours.

5. Games. the maximum sum by which a bet may be raised at any one time.

6. Informal. the limit, something or someone that exasperates, delights, etc., to an extreme degree.

   You have made errors before, but this is the limit.

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verb (used with object)

• limits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• limited,
  past participle,  past
• limiting
  present participle

1. to restrict by or as if by establishing limits (usually followed byto ).

   Please limit answers to 25 words.

2. to confine or keep within limits.

   to limit expenditures.

   Synonyms:

   bound, restrain

3. Law. to fix or assign definitely or specifically.

limit British  

/ ˈlɪmɪt /

noun

1. (sometimes plural) the ultimate extent, degree, or amount of something

   the limit of endurance

2. (often plural) the boundary or edge of a specific area

   the city limits

3. (often plural) the area of premises within specific boundaries

4. the largest quantity or amount allowed

5. maths

   1. a value to which a function f( x ) approaches as closely as desired as the independent variable approaches a specified value ( x = a) or approaches infinity

   2. a value to which a sequence an approaches arbitrarily close as n approaches infinity

   3. the limit of a sequence of partial sums of a convergent infinite series

      the limit of 1 + ½ + ¼ + ⅛ + … is 2

6. maths one of the two specified values between which a definite integral is evaluated

7. informal a person or thing that is intolerably exasperating

8. 1. out of bounds

   2. forbidden to do or use

      smoking was off limits everywhere

9. to a certain or limited extent

   I approve of it within limits

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verb

1. to restrict or confine, as to area, extent, time, etc

2. law to agree, fix, or assign specifically

limit Scientific  

/ lĭm′ĭt /

1. A number or point for which, from a given set of numbers or points, one can choose an arbitrarily close number or point. For example, for the set of all real numbers greater than zero and less than one, the numbers one and zero are limit points, since one can pick a number from the set arbitrarily close to one or zero (even though one and zero are not themselves in the set). Limits form the basis for calculus, where a number L is defined to be the limit approached by a function f(x) as x approaches a if, for every positive number ε, there exists a number δ such that ‖ f(x)−L ‖

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limit Idioms  

1. see go whole hog (the limit); sky's the limit; the limit.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• limitableness
  noun
• limitlessness
  noun
• underlimit
  noun
• overlimit
  verb (used with object)
• relimit
  verb (used with object)
• underlimit
  verb (used with object)
• limitable
  adjective
• limitless
  adjective
• limitlessly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• limits
  plural

Participles

• limiting
  present
• limited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• limit
  simple
• limits
  simple
• have limited
  perfect
• has limited
  perfect
• am limiting
  progressive
• are limiting
  progressive
• is limiting
  progressive
• have been limiting
  perfect progressive
• has been limiting
  perfect progressive

Past

• limited
  simple
• had limited
  perfect
• was limiting
  progressive
• were limiting
  progressive
• had been limiting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will limit
  simple
• will have limited
  perfect
• will be limiting
  progressive
• will have been limiting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of limit

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English lymyt, from Latin līmit-, stem of līmes “boundary, path between fields”

Explanation

A limit is a boundary, or how far something can go, or the maximum amount of something. When you reach the limit, imagine a little sign saying "the end." There's a limit to how much weight you can lift, how many words can be written in an hour, or how long someone can stay awake. Once you pass the city limits, you have left town. Sporting events have time limits. As a verb, you can limit how much chocolate your kids are allowed to eat. And if you don't feel like writing much, you'll limit your essay to just 400 words instead of 500.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

limit limits limited limiting

However, the judge ordered Meta limit push notifications and usage to 90 hours a month, around three-hours daily on average, for users under age 18, in addition to hiding "like counts."

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Congress established the 39% limit in 2004, intervening after the FCC moved to raise the cap to 45%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

"While Doge provided some information about estimated savings, several issues limit the transparency and reliability of these reported savings," the GAO report stated.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

TV station owners and its lobbying group the National Assn. of Broadcasters have been clamoring for a change in the rule, citing the changes in technology that have occurred since the ownership limit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

He was allowed out of his cell to make phone calls, and the jailers seemed to put no time limit on them.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

The language limits the number of countries that can be tariffed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The salary cap limits what teams can spend on player payroll to ensure parity and prevent the wealthiest teams from outspending smaller-market teams to acquire the best players.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

“For somebody who has a clear-eyed picture of the benefits and limits of AI, I think there is a lot of demand for that kind of skillset.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

The ability to control heat at the atomic level could help address major limits in AI hardware, microelectronic devices, aerospace systems and other electronics.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

Marina, following in Aleksandr’s footsteps, now began pushing the limits of long-distance flight.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

In its analysis of a data set of 5,000 private-letter deals rated by Egan-Jones, the Journal also assessed how the firm’s ratings compare with those of peers, drawing on limited publicly available data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Until now, a wave-based form of heat transport called phonon focusing had only been observed at extremely low cryogenic temperatures, which made it difficult to study and limited its potential applications.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

We do not know how much the drone found at the airport was carrying and the physical damage may have been limited.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Dorsia members join at three different membership tiers—which affect members’ access to prime places at prime times—in limited markets that include Aspen, St. Barts, Ibiza, Martha’s Vineyard, and the Hamptons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The central plateau was his roots as an epidemiologist and a clinician, and a model of how a committed staff on a limited budget could raise the standard of health in the third world.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Since becoming secretary, Hegseth has sought to put in place strict controls limiting the information that reporters can gather from the Pentagon, as well.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The National Weather Service recommends limiting outdoor activity to the early hours of the day and staying in air-conditioned spaces during the afternoon and evening.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

While management raised full-year guidance, the upgrade was broadly in line with consensus expectations, limiting the scope for estimate revisions and likely weighing slightly on sentiment, Kempf adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

“That said, we believe many of these concerns are already reflected in valuations, investor positioning and ownership levels, limiting potential downside relative to history,” they wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

That is, inventions supposedly arise when a society has an unfulfilled need: some technology is widely recognized to be unsatisfactory or limiting.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• bar
• curb
• define
• hinder
• inhibit
• lessen
• narrow
• reduce
• set
• specify