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Definition of limit noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

limit

noun
 OPAL WOPAL S
 
/ˈlɪmɪt/
 
/ˈlɪmɪt/
Idioms
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  1.  
     the greatest or smallest amount of something that is allowed synonym restriction
    • They imposed a strict spending limit.
    • His speed was double the legal limit.
    • Do not exceed the recommended limit of 6g of salt per day.
    • limit on something The EU has set strict limits on levels of pollution.
    • within limits to keep government spending within acceptable limits
    • over the limit You can't drive—you're over the limit (= you have drunk more alcohol than is legal when driving).
    see also age limit, speed limit, time limit
    Synonyms limitlimitrestriction ▪ control ▪ constraint ▪ restraint ▪ limitationThese are all words for something that limits what you can do or what can happen.limit the greatest or smallest amount of something that is allowed:
    • The EU has set strict limits on pollution levels.
    • the speed limit
    restriction (rather formal) a rule or law that limits what you can do:
    • There are no restrictions on the amount of money you can withdraw.
    control (often in compounds) the act of limiting or managing something; a method of doing this:
    • arms control
    constraint (rather formal) a fact or decision that limits what you can do:
    • We have to work within severe constraints of time and money.
    restraint (rather formal) a decision, a rule, an idea, etc. that limits what you can do; the act of limiting something because it is necessary or sensible to do so:
    • The government has imposed export restraints on some products.
    • The unions are unlikely to accept any sort of wage restraint.
    limitation the act or process of limiting something; a rule, fact or condition that limits something:
    • They would resist any limitation of their powers.
     restriction, constraint, restraint or limitation?These are all things that limit what you can do. A restriction is rule or law that is made by somebody in authority. A constraint is something that exists rather than something that is made, although it may exist as a result of somebody’s decision. A restraint is also something that exists: it can exist outside yourself, as the result of somebody else’s decision; but it can also exist inside you, as a fear of what other people may think or as your own feeling about what is acceptable: moral/​social/​cultural restraints. A limitation is more general and can be a rule that somebody makes or a fact or condition that exists.Patterns
    • limits/​restrictions/​controls/​constraints/​restraints/​limitations on something
    • limits/​limitations to something
    • severe limits/​restrictions/​controls/​constraints/​restraints/​limitations
    • tight limits/​restrictions/​controls/​constraints
    • to impose/​remove limits/​restrictions/​controls/​constraints/​restraints/​limitations
    • to lift restrictions/​controls/​constraints/​restraints
    Extra Examples
    • Banks may import currency without limit.
    • They called for a limit on the use of pesticides.
    • Air pollution is in danger of breaching the limits set by the European Union.
    • If the £145 limit is breached customs can insist on the payment of import duty and VAT.
    • The package exceeded the weight limit for a normal first-class stamp.
    • There is an upper limit on spending.
    • The law placed a limit of 100 years on copyright.
    • Central government has set a limit on spending by local councils.
    • Four cups of coffee is my daily limit.
    • Heat levels rose beyond the recommended limits.
    • I can offer you $50 but that's my absolute limit.
    • I don't want to go over my overdraft limit.
    • Most credit card issuers have set limits on how low rates can go.
    • The engine was still reading well above normal limits.
    • The level of radioactivity in the soil was found to be above recommended limits.
    • The price fell below the lower limit.
    • The same emission limits apply to all engines.
    • There's a limit on the number of tickets you can buy.
    • There's a weight limit on the bridge.
    • We are forced to operate within relatively narrow limits.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • outer
    • northern
    • southern
    • …
    verb + limit
    • have
    • approach
    • near
    • …
    preposition
    • above a/​the limit
    • at a/​the limit
    • below a/​the limit
    • …
    See full entry
  2.  
     a point at which something stops being possible or existing
    • She knew the limits of her power.
    • to set/define the limits of something
    • to push/test the limits of something
    • It's a movie that stretches the limits of believability.
    • His arrogance knew (= had) no limits.
    • limit to something There is a limit to the amount of pain we can bear.
    • to the limit The team performed to the limit of its capabilities.
    • to push/test somebody/something to the limit
    • I knew I had reached my limit and couldn't do any more.
    • within the limits of something They've done their best within the limits of their capability.
    • beyond the limits of something I saw things beyond the limits of my ability to describe.
    Extra Examples
    • I was almost at the limits of my patience.
    • His family business had reached the limits of possible expansion.
    • Every society defines the limits of acceptable behaviour.
    • He set very definite limits on what he would reveal about his private life.
    • Such restrictions would place severe limits on the music's wider cultural relevance.
    • She is testing the limits of architecture as we know it.
    • He pushed the limits of what the budget would bear.
    • Daring art sometimes tests the limits of the legally permissible.
    • We choose to accept challenges, to take risks, and to stretch limits.
    • He pushed me to the limit of my abilities.
    • She wants Zack to be free to explore his limits, experiment and try new things.
    • The industry was approaching the limits of expansion.
    • The new law has its limits.
    • Their designers have pushed the limits of technology in order to create something new.
    • There's a practical limit to how small a computer can be.
    • They did well within the limits of their knowledge.
    • They recognize the limits of conventional strategies.
    • Our finances have been stretched to the limit.
    • The managers' skills and expertise were being tested to the limits.
    • There is no limit to what we can achieve.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • outer
    • northern
    • southern
    • …
    verb + limit
    • have
    • approach
    • near
    • …
    preposition
    • above a/​the limit
    • at a/​the limit
    • below a/​the limit
    • …
    See full entry
  3. [plural] the furthest edge of an area or a place
    • We were reaching the limits of civilization.
    • the city limits (= the imaginary line which officially divides the city from the area outside)
    • islands on the outer limit of the continent
    see also off-limits
    Extra Examples
    • Fishing beyond the twelve-mile limit is not permitted.
    • There was no school within a limit of ten miles.
    • Let us wonder what stops at the limits of the universe.
    • The trees are found only below a limit of 1 500 feet.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • outer
    • northern
    • southern
    • …
    verb + limit
    • have
    • approach
    • near
    • …
    preposition
    • above a/​the limit
    • at a/​the limit
    • below a/​the limit
    • …
    See full entry
    4. Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin limes, limit- ‘boundary, frontier’. The verb is from Latin limitare, from limes.
Idioms
be the limit
  1. (old-fashioned, informal) to be extremely annoyingTopics Personal qualitiesc2
push the boundaries/limits
  1. to attempt to go beyond what is allowed or thought to be possible
    • We aim to push the boundaries of what we can achieve.
    • She pushes her physical limits through various endurance challenges.
the sky’s the limit
  1. (informal) there is no limit to what somebody can achieve, earn, do, etc.
    • With a talent like his, the sky's the limit.
    Topics Successc2
within limits
  1. to some extent
    • I'm willing to help, within limits.
    • The children can do what they like, within limits.
without limit/limits
  1. without a point at which something has to stop
    • The debt is rising without limit.
    • She's a free spirit and lives her life without limits.
See limit in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee limit in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: limit

Nearby words

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adjective
 
 
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