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

This also preserves the culinary reason for the limit without overpronouncing it: farmers market ingredients are usually best when they remain recognizable.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

“That’s why international bodies, like the World Health Organization, say 95 degrees is the limit at which you should no longer use fans,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Spain’s firefighting resources are already stretched to the limit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

I nodded, wondering where was the limit of her knowing things.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Related Words

• exuberance
• glut
• overkill
• surplus
• waste