off-limits

adjective

off-lim·​its ˈȯf-ˈli-məts 

: not to be entered or patronized especially by a designated class of people

Certain areas of the museum are off-limits to visitors.

also : not to be interfered with, considered, or spoken of

The subject of politics was off-limits in her family.

Examples of off-limits in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20% of the world’s energy flows, is essentially off-limits to tanker traffic. —Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

In 2012, the couple returned to Fukushima to start measuring radiation while living in temporary housing near Odaka, which was still off-limits. —ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026

For some, that might mean reducing in-person family visits to holidays and birthdays only or keeping certain topics (your dating life, your career) off-limits. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 5 Mar. 2026

Trump was planning to end a policy that made schools off-limits for immigration raids, so Rachel was carrying a trifold poster board explaining what to do in an encounter with ICE. —Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for off-limits

• delimits
• limites
• limits

Kids Definition

off-limits

adjective

ˈȯ-ˈflim-əts

1

: not to be entered or used by a certain group of people

2

: not to be discussed or considered

questions about my salary are off-limits