ambit

noun

am·​bit ˈam-bət 

1

: circuit, compass

2

: the bounds or limits of a place or district

3

: a sphere of action, expression, or influence : scope

Synonyms

• amplitude
• breadth
• compass
• confines
• dimension(s)
• extent
• range
• reach
• realm
• scope
• sweep
• width

Examples of ambit in a Sentence

many feel that church leaders stray outside of their proper ambit when they make specific political endorsements

Recent Examples on the Web

Postal law enforcement must stick to its guns and focus on the very real problems within its ambit. —Ross Marchand, Baltimore Sun, 22 May 2025

Last year, it was announced that the paper would no longer issue endorsements in local elections, and the ambit of the excellent Metro section has narrowed considerably. —Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 5 May 2025

For enterprise users, Canva has expanded its ambit to include access management, Secure Single Sign-On integrations, and bulk content creation tools like Magic Studio at Scale which auto-generates campaigns using data templates. —Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025

The issue before us is whether his mere claim of extraordinary harm justifies this court's immediate review, which would essentially remove the legal issues from the district court's ambit before its proceedings have concluded. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin ambitus "circuit, circumference, strip of ground around the outside of a building," from ambīre "to visit in rotation, surround, encircle" + -tus, suffix of action nouns — more at ambient entry 1

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ambit

• gambit