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.
"Very little is off-limits," Trump said on Monday.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
“When money feels like an off-limits topic to kids, they might fill in the gaps themselves, and not always accurately.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026
The Kim regime remains largely off-limits to foreign tourists—except for Russians.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
They would also check and update the “no-strike list,” which names civilian targets such as schools and hospitals that are strictly off-limits.
From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026
Time-honored agreements said those cables were strictly off-limits in peacetime, but Yardley went ahead anyway.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
