Meaning of limit in English

limit

noun

/ˈlɪm.ɪt/ us

/ˈlɪm.ɪt/

Add to word list Add to word list

B1 [ C ]

the greatest amount, number, or level of something that is either possible or allowed:

Is there a limit on the amount of money you can claim?

I think we ought to put a strict limit on the amount of time we can spend on the project.

There's a limit to the number of times I can stop what I'm doing just so I can help him!

We set a time limit of 30 minutes for the test.

Synonyms

check  (LIMIT)
constraint
control  (POWER)
curb  (CONTROL)
curtailment
limitation
rein 
restraint
restriction

[ U ] informal

the amount of something that is enough and not too much:

Three cocktails are my limit.

I won't have any more - I know my limit!

the limit old-fashioned informal

something that is very annoying or not convenient:

And now you're cutting your toenails in bed! That really is the limit!

the largest amount of alcohol that is legally allowed to be present in the blood while a person is driving a vehicle:

She was definitely driving over the limit.

limits [ plural ]

limit:

I'd like to play squash, but I'm 60 and I know my limits.

More examplesFewer examples

Many people became ineligible to receive state aid because their earnings were above the new limit.
The government has set new limits on public spending.
The bad language in that play overstepped the limits of what ought to be allowed on television.
At this restaurant you can help yourself to as much food as you want - there's no limit.
"How much are you willing to spend?" "Well, the outside limit would be £350."

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Maximum and minimum

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Range and limits

Annoying

Drinking alcohol

Idiom

within limits

limit

verb [ T ]

/ˈlɪm.ɪt/ us

/ˈlɪm.ɪt/

to control something so that it is not greater than a particular amount, number, or level:

I've been asked to limit my speech to ten minutes maximum.

Having so little money to spend on an apartment does limit you in your choice.

More examplesFewer examples

Oil prices are certain to rise following the agreement to limit production.
The government is being widely criticized in the press for failing to limit air pollution.
You should always limit your exposure to the sun.
The government has promised to introduce legislation to limit fuel emissions from cars.
Division within the party will limit its chances at the election.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Limiting and restricting

See more results »

(Definition of limit from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

limit | American Dictionary

limit

noun [ C ]

/ˈlɪm·ɪt/

Add to word list Add to word list

the greatest amount, number, or level allowed or possible:

There’s a limit to her patience.

Two cups of coffee are my limit.

Spending limits were imposed by the mayor.

limit

verb [ T ]

/ˈlɪm·ɪt/

to control something so that it is not greater than a particular amount, number, or level:

I have to limit my talk to 20 minutes.

(Definition of limit from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

limit | Business English

limit

noun [ C ]

/ˈlɪmɪt/ us

Add to word list Add to word list

the greatest amount, number, or level that is possible or allowed:

beyond/over/outside the limit Am I over the limit on the amount of money I can claim?

below/within/under the limit Wages accounted for 57% of turnover - just under the 60% limit recommended by industry experts.

a limit to sth There's a limit to the number of times I can stop what I'm doing just so I can help him!

a limit on sth I think we ought to put a strict limit on the amount of time we can spend on the project.

impose/place/set a limit We set a time limit of thirty minutes for the test.

exceed/reach/reduce a limit

stretch/push the limit

See also

credit limit
floor limit
time limit

limit

verb [ T ]

/ˈlɪmɪt/ us

to control something so that it is not more than a particular amount, number, or level:

limit damage/liability This change can help to limit environmental damage.

limit the effectiveness/usefulness of sth Farmers cover coca leaves with substances that limit the effectiveness of the herbicide spray.

limit sth's scope Regulations limit their scope to activities of a commercial nature carried out in other countries.

limit sth to sth I've been asked to limit my speech to ten minutes maximum.

to control the amount of something or the type of thing that a person or organization can have:

limit sb to sth Having so little money to spend on a car does limit you to an older used model.

The city's economy limits the poor to menial service jobs.

limit yourself to sth Older investors do not have to limit themselves to corporate bonds.

be limited to sb/sth

to be only available to a particular person or group or to only affect a particular person or group:

Coupons for a 15% discount will be limited to the first 1000 people to visit the site.

An outbreak of flu was limited to people who travelled in the winter months.

(Definition of limit from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of limit

limit

Burials, for instance, are underneath platforms, within the limits of the dwellings.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

However, this does not warrant totally abandoning the notion of separate senses, particularly in light of evidence of limits in cross-modal representations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

First, the representations we create are limited by sensory constraints.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Other political parties have limited space in which to thrive.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The scientific consensus is that a stock is vulnerable, and that catch limits should be reduced.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The analysis in this paper has been limited to cases where the secondary mode perturbation remains small.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Technical work is required, and the time limit of 60 days to vote the budget is short.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Neither section limits itself to a synthesis, even a thorough one, of the research works available.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These limiting factors do not emerge in the accompanying scenario, which presents an unhurried and relatively straightforward assessment of a man living at home.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It is based on physical principles, but the mathematics is limited so that interested undergraduate students will be able to follow.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

As far as the literature on sustainable development is concerned, this tends to view economic growth as limited by the finiteness of environmental resources.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Furthermore, the claim that limited exposure duration during training further promotes fluency was examined.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These trajectories take into account the relative target motion and thruster/actuator saturation limits.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The co-occurrence of identical consonants thus presents the limiting case of a more general stochastic constraint on perceived similarity.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Thus, the movement of the implement is limited to a planar motion.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of limit

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.