the limit

Idioms  

1. The most extreme; someone or something that irritates, delights, or surprises to the ultimate degree. For example, Hiring and firing someone the same day—that's the limit in employee relations! or That excuse of yours for missing the wedding, that's the limit, or He's done wonders before but this last one is the limit. This idiom uses limit as “the last possible point or boundary.” [Colloquial; c. 1900]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

the limit

“I asked why the limit was so low, but they couldn’t give me an explanation.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Keep an eye on the time; make your goodbyes quick to avoid over-staying the limit.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

You have to really want it to perform at the highest level in F1, to drive to the limit every time you get in the car, no matter how competitive it is.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

"Me, personally, I learned that the sky's the limit."

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

D’Alembert realized that the Achilles problem vanishes if you consider the limit of the race.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• exuberance
• glut
• overkill
• surplus
• waste