statute of limitations

noun phrase

: a statute assigning a certain time after which rights cannot be enforced by legal action or offenses cannot be punished

Examples of statute of limitations in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The district court dismissed the action last year as barred by the 10-year statute of limitations. —Bruce Haring, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025

Antitrust claims have a statute of limitations of four years, and these players haven’t played in college for decades. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Sep. 2025

The clock had been ticking on a five-year statute of limitations tied to Comey's testimony from that hearing date. —Bart Jansen, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025

The musician’s defense team had argued that the charge—stemming from a November 2024 incident in which Mo Chara allegedly displayed the Hezbollah flag during a concert—fell outside the statute of limitations, and the judge agreed. —Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for statute of limitations

• abbreviations
• abominations
• accelerations
• accommodations
• accumulations
• adjudications
• administrations
• adulterations
• affiliations
• agglomerations
• alienations
• amalgamations

Legal Definition

statute of limitations

1

a

: a statute establishing a period of time from the accrual of a cause of action (as upon the occurrence or discovery of an injury) within which a right of action must be exercised compare laches, statute of repose

b

: a criminal statute establishing the period of time within which an offense can be punished after its commission

2

: a period of time established by a statute of limitations for commencing an action or prosecution

3

: an affirmative defense that the statute of limitations has expired