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

For many of the fraud cases that occurred during the pandemic, the statute of limitations has already passed or is nearly passed. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026

There is no statute of limitations for any unresolved homicide. —Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2026

But only about $150 million is collectible, since some tax debts are outside of the three-year statute of limitations and some cannabis businesses are no longer operating. —Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026

Financial officials noted there’s a significant portion of unpaid taxes that are more than three years old and cannot be collected due to the statute of limitations. —City News Service, Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026

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