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.
Trading on Hyperliquid and Trade.xyz is currently off-limits to investors based in the U.S. for regulatory reasons.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
Xi reportedly name-dropped his friend Putin to Trump last week, when the two leaders walked through Zhongnanhai, which is normally off-limits to foreign visitors, joking about how Putin had visited Beijing's political sanctuary before.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Manish Chandi has been one of the few to regularly visit the small villages of the Nicobarese, which are off-limits except with special permission.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
Watching Rex Reed from my father’s off-limits black leather chair in the living room as my mother ironed was an uncomfortable experience for me.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
“I wanted to, but I couldn’t find you,” Shin replied, explaining that it was late at night and the teachers’ compound was off-limits to prisoners.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
