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Showing results for off-limits. Search instead for off+limits.
Synonyms

off-limits

American  
[awf-lim-its, of-] / ˈɔfˈlɪm ɪts, ˈɒf- /

adjective

  1. forbidden to be patronized, frequented, used, etc., by certain persons.

    The tavern is off-limits to soldiers.
off limits British  

adjective

  1. not to be entered; out of bounds

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. in or into an area forbidden by regulations

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

“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 topic of “taking work away from lawyers” was off-limits for a recent project promoting an e-legal review product, he said, so he focused on how it augmented employees’ work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Natural England says that in many places, new rights of access have opened land that was previously off-limits to the public - including beaches, dunes and cliff-tops between the path and the sea.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 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

The Academy, they said, was off-limits to journalists—no exceptions, end of conversation.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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.