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.
However, the new findings clearly show that oxygen diffusion within flight muscle tracheoles is not the limiting factor.
From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2026
He cited the internal compute shortage as the limiting factor, which he predicted would clear up this year for his team.
From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026
A state investigation found that even if the reservoir had been full, the flow rate in the pipes “would have been a limiting factor in maintaining pressure and the system would have been quickly overwhelmed.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 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 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.
