An Americanism dating back to 1950–55
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A $53 New York Strip steak wasn’t off limits.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
Not that extremist positions should be off limits, but they ought to be more rigorously addressed.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026
"There is nothing off limits - I don't like the idea of a filtered version of ourselves, it's not true, authentic or real," he reflects.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
The Emergency Treatment Unit was off limits to visitors and other patients, with the medical authorities setting up a separate ward for the Iranians.
From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026
All I know is that everything seems to be off limits when it comes to Bubbe.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
