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

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says there are myriad reasons people are either refused a credit card or, just as much a slap in the face with a wet fish, a low credit limit.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

“Typically, we are slow moving with our forecasts to limit chasing price action, but the world is now fundamentally different today compared to the July FOMC,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

At that later stage, the black hole's feeding rate falls to about two percent of its Eddington limit, the point at which the outward pressure of radiation balances the inward pull of gravity.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara furthered the plan’s growth when he required it to raise the policy limit on homes to $3 million and to insure condominium developments valued at $100 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

This shows that, indeed, Achilles is getting arbitrarily close to the two-foot mark as the race progresses: two feet is the limit of the race.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Laura added that Google Maps had previously shown incorrect speed limits on sections of the trunk road.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

News relied on was several years old and that the amount of federal debt undergraduate students carry doesn’t vary much because the government limits the amount they can borrow, Kelchen said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his delegation face strict U.S. travel and shopping limits during their visit to the U.N.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

"Our search for the molybdenum was technically extremely challenging and required the experts at the synchrotron to push their instrument to its absolute limits," says Wagner.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

Where’s our innocent discussion about the effectiveness of speed limits?

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

Bank cites uncertainty on growth prospects, pressure from semaglutide’s 2032 patent expiry, fair valuation, and limited near-term news flow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

County medical examiner’s office said that it was in the early stages of investigating the 27-year-old model’s death and that limited information was available.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

According to The Real Deal, the buyer is a limited liability company tied to John Jarve, a partner at venture capital firm Menlo Ventures and founder of Sierra Point Capital.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

The goalkeeping position was a problem for some time under predecessor Steve Clarke, exacerbated by 84-cap Craig Gordon coming to the end of his career and with playing time often limited for the alternatives.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

In Kenya the students across the country are competing against each other all the time because advancement is limited to the smartest, hardest-working students.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

Diplomatic signals are providing some relief to fears of broader escalation, although the physical market remains tight, limiting downside, Christopher Tahir of Exness says in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

That said, Goodman said that for people with more limited savings, if they have to spend down principal in order to delay, that might be limiting.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

But he left an indelible mark on the environment, authoring legislation offering incentives to recycle, limiting advertisers’ inflated claims about products’ environmental benefits and combating water and air pollution.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

The digital divide can also pose a real threat, leaving older people vulnerable to high-tech crimes such as online scams or limiting their access to medical services, experts say.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

We could blame it on our emo-nanites limiting our despair, but it runs far deeper than that.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

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