within limits
idiom
: without going beyond what is considered reasonable or allowable
They told us that we could do whatever we liked, within (certain) limits.
Examples of within limits in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sure, economists have models, and those models give us insight into what is likely to happen — within limits.
—
Wesley Davenport, National Review, 13 Aug. 2024
The land use processes are intended to regulate, within limits, the ability of owners to develop their properties.
—Christian Browne, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2024
Fire in living landscapes had evolved with checks and balances that could, within limits, be stretched.
—Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
The impulse to care first for one’s own people can be morally justified but only within limits.
—Lawrence O. Gostin, Foreign Affairs, 19 Jan. 2021
See all Example Sentences for within limits 
Wesley Davenport, National Review, 13 Aug. 2024
The land use processes are intended to regulate, within limits, the ability of owners to develop their properties.
—Christian Browne, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2024
Fire in living landscapes had evolved with checks and balances that could, within limits, be stretched.
—Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
The impulse to care first for one’s own people can be morally justified but only within limits.
—Lawrence O. Gostin, Foreign Affairs, 19 Jan. 2021
See all Example Sentences for within limits
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'within limits.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near within limits
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“Within limits.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/within%20limits. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.
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