off-limits
adjective
forbidden to be patronized, frequented, used, etc., by certain persons.
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off-limits
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off limits
off limitsadjectivenot to be entered; out of bounds
off-limits
American
[awf-lim-its, of-]
/ ˈɔfˈlɪm ɪts, ˈɒf- /
adjective
off limits
British
adjective
adverb
Etymology
Origin of off-limits
An Americanism dating back to 1950–55
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.
See Examples For:
The 32-year-old said managers have verbally reminded staff that "sensitive countries such as Japan are definitely off-limits".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Had university officials declared any bad news on campus off-limits and dialed up a soothing Wolverine win?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
He’s watched movies about parents who have lost children and then kept their bedroom off-limits, preserved just as it was the day they died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Unless cooked, vegetables such as green peppers, green onions, tomatoes and mushrooms were also off-limits.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
And maybe some stupid tiny part of me wants to impress someone—but if that someone is off-limits, then what’s the point?
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
But he added that he did not believe that had happened, and Downing Street later insisted there was no change in his position that such a vote was currently "off limits".
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
The Chinese securities commission in May said this method of funding overseas investments was off limits and fined Futu and two other brokers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Behind him, a largely automated line of chemical vats is off limits to cameras because the process is patented by a Canadian company, Excir.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
It seems like nothing is off limits these days in L.A.’s most woo-woo wellness scenes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Percy, traveling in the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. It’s been off limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No hero in his right mind would go there.”
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
