limiting factor
Americannoun
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Physiology. the slowest, therefore rate-limiting, step in a process or reaction involving several steps.
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Biology. an environmental factor that tends to limit population size.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Imagination was never the limiting factor for Poetic Kinetics creative director Patrick Shearn’s fourth project for Coachella.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
“As clusters scale, data transfer speeds are becoming a limiting factor, increasing the importance of optical components and materials,” Yardeni wrote.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
“The size of the Permian is such that this can’t be a limiting factor for the success of the whole basin,” said Scott Neal, director of growth and portfolio for Chevron’s shale and tight business.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
The global constraint principle explains that when one limiting factor -- such as a nutrient -- is alleviated, other constraints like enzyme production, cell volume, or membrane space begin to take over.
From Science Daily • Nov. 11, 2025
“The short life span has always been a prime limiting factor in education,” he told George and Julie.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
