limit

1 of 2

noun

lim·​it ˈli-mət 

1

a

: something that bounds, restrains, or confines

the age limit for junior golf

b

: the utmost extent

pushed her body to the limit

2

a

: a geographic or political boundary

b

limits plural : the place enclosed within a boundary : bounds

… into the limits of the North / They came …

—John Milton

3

: limitation

… the sadness is without limit.

—William Shakespeare

4

: a determining feature or differentia in logic

5

: a prescribed maximum or minimum amount, quantity, or number: such as

a

: the maximum quantity of game or fish that may be taken legally in a specified period

b

: a maximum established for a gambling bet, raise, or payoff

6

a

: a number whose numerical difference from a mathematical function is arbitrarily small for all values of the independent variables that are sufficiently close to but not equal to given prescribed numbers or that are sufficiently large positively or negatively

b

: a number that for an infinite sequence of numbers is such that ultimately each of the remaining terms of the sequence differs from this number by less than any given positive amount

7

: something that is exasperating or intolerable

We've had bad weather, but this is the limit.

limitless

ˈli-mət-ləs 

adjective

limitlessly adverb

limitlessness noun

limitless

2 of 2

adjective

lim·​it·​less ˈlimə̇tlə̇s 

: having no limits : unbounded, inexhaustible

humanity with its limitless desires

—Mary Webb

the view plunged into the limitless horizon

—William James

had a limitless war chest

—Hodding Carter

limitlessly adverb

limitlessness noun

plural -es

Synonyms of limit

Noun

• limitation
• confines
• boundary

Examples of limit in a Sentence

Noun

He has reached the limit of his endurance.

In training, she pushed her body to its physical limits.

He tries to be creative within the limits of conventional journalism.

There are limits to what I can put up with from him!

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

At the same time, the shrinking economy, new limits on internet access, blocks on popular messaging apps and concerns over state surveillance are adding to a wider sense of disquiet that is already starting to be reflected in polling data. —Zahra Ullah, CNN Money, 7 June 2026

Each week, the competitors will push themselves to their athletic limits to pass courses that challenge their strength, speed and agility. —Melina Khan, USA Today, 7 June 2026

This year, headlines around capping fund withdrawals and redemption limits look set to dominate the conversations. —Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 7 June 2026

The 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley act that abolished most New Deal-era limits on Wall Street institutions passed 90-8 and 362-57. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French limite, from Latin limit-, limes boundary

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

circa 1586, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing limit

• age limit
• central limit theorem
• credit limit
• elastic limit
• limit point
• over the limit
• reach one's limit
• Roche limit
• speed limit
• term limit
• the limit
• the sky's the limit
• three-mile limit
• time limit
• to the limit
• without limit

Rhymes for limit

• delimit

Kids Definition

limit

1 of 2 noun

lim·​it ˈlim-ət 

1

: a boundary line

within the city limits

2

: a point beyond which a person or thing cannot go

limitless

-ləs 

adjective

limit

2 of 2 verb

: to set limits to : keep within limits

limit expenses

management reserves the right to limit quantities

an adjective limits the meaning of a noun