limiting factor

American  

noun

1. Physiology. the slowest, therefore rate-limiting, step in a process or reaction involving several steps.

2. Biology. an environmental factor that tends to limit population size.

---

Example Sentences

“As clusters scale, data transfer speeds are becoming a limiting factor, increasing the importance of optical components and materials,” he wrote.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 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

“I think that’s gonna be cool and, you know, when we travel, that’s always sort of the limiting factor when we travel internationally.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

"In our model, the barrel staves spread out in steps," he says, "each step representing a new limiting factor that becomes active as the cell grows faster."

From Science Daily • Nov. 11, 2025

That's really the limiting factor to life support.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir