limit

noun

OPAL WOPAL S

/ˈlɪmɪt/

Idioms

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the greatest or smallest amount of something that is allowed synonym restriction
- They imposed a strict spending limit.
- His speed was double the legal limit.
- Do not exceed the recommended limit of 6g of salt per day.
- limit on something The EU has set strict limits on levels of pollution.
- within limits to keep government spending within acceptable limits
- over the limit You can't drive—you're over the limit (= you have drunk more alcohol than is legal when driving).
see also age limit, speed limit, time limit
Synonyms limit
limit
- restriction
- control
- constraint
- restraint
- limitation
These are all words for something that limits what you can do or what can happen.
- limit the greatest or smallest amount of something that is allowed:
  The EU has set strict limits on pollution levels.
  the speed limit
- restriction (rather formal) a rule or law that limits what you can do:
  There are no restrictions on the amount of money you can withdraw.
- control (often in compounds) the act of limiting or managing something; a method of doing this:
  arms control
- constraint (rather formal) a fact or decision that limits what you can do:
  We have to work within severe constraints of time and money.
- restraint (rather formal) a decision, a rule, an idea, etc. that limits what you can do; the act of limiting something because it is necessary or sensible to do so:
  The government has imposed export restraints on some products.
  The unions are unlikely to accept any sort of wage restraint.
- limitation the act or process of limiting something; a rule, fact or condition that limits something:
  They would resist any limitation of their powers.
restriction, constraint, restraint or limitation?These are all things that limit what you can do. A restriction is rule or law that is made by somebody in authority. A constraint is something that exists rather than something that is made, although it may exist as a result of somebody’s decision. A restraint is also something that exists: it can exist outside yourself, as the result of somebody else’s decision; but it can also exist inside you, as a fear of what other people may think or as your own feeling about what is acceptable: moral/social/cultural restraints. A limitation is more general and can be a rule that somebody makes or a fact or condition that exists.Patterns
- limits/restrictions/controls/constraints/restraints/limitations on something
- limits/limitations to something
- severe limits/restrictions/controls/constraints/restraints/limitations
- tight limits/restrictions/controls/constraints
- to impose/remove limits/restrictions/controls/constraints/restraints/limitations
- to lift restrictions/controls/constraints/restraints
Extra Examples
- Banks may import currency without limit.
- They called for a limit on the use of pesticides.
- Air pollution is in danger of breaching the limits set by the European Union.
- If the £145 limit is breached customs can insist on the payment of import duty and VAT.
- The package exceeded the weight limit for a normal first class stamp.
- There is an upper limit on spending.
- The law placed a limit of 100 years on copyright.
- Central government has set a limit on spending by local councils.
- Four cups of coffee is my daily limit.
- Heat levels rose beyond the recommended limits.
- I can offer you $50 but that's my absolute limit.
- I don't want to go over my overdraft limit.
- Most credit card issuers have set limits on how low rates can go.
- The application must be made within a strict time limit.
- The engine was still reading well above normal limits.
- The level of radioactivity in the soil was found to be above recommended limits.
- The price fell below the lower limit.
- The same emission limits apply to all engines.
- There's a limit on the number of tickets you can buy.
- There's a weight limit on the bridge.
- This led them to reduce the upper age limit from age 65 to age 59.
- We are forced to operate within relatively narrow limits.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- outer
- northern
- southern
- …
verb + limit
- have
- approach
- near
- …
preposition
- above a/the limit
- at a/the limit
- below a/the limit
- …
See full entry
a point at which something stops being possible or existing
- She knew the limits of her power.
- to set/define the limits of something
- to push/test the limits of something
- It's a movie that stretches the limits of believability.
- His arrogance knew (= had) no limits.
- limit to something There is a limit to the amount of pain we can bear.
- to the limit The team performed to the limit of its capabilities.
- to push/test somebody/something to the limit
- I knew I had reached my limit and couldn't do any more.
- within the limits of something They've done their best within the limits of their capability.
- beyond the limits of something I saw things beyond the limits of my ability to describe.
Extra Examples
- I was almost at the limits of my patience.
- His family business had reached the limits of possible expansion.
- Every society defines the limits of acceptable behaviour.
- He set very definite limits on what he would reveal about his private life.
- Such restrictions would place severe limits on the music's wider cultural relevance.
- He pushed the limits of what the budget would bear.
- She is testing the limits of architecture as we know it.
- Daring art sometimes tests the limits of the legally permissible.
- We choose to accept challenges, to take risks, and to stretch limits.
- She pushed me to the limit of my abilities.
- She wants Zack to be free to explore his limits, experiment and try new things.
- The industry was approaching the limits of expansion.
- The new law has its limits.
- Their designers have pushed the limits of technology in order to create something new.
- There's a practical limit to how small a computer can be.
- They did well within the limits of their knowledge.
- They recognize the limits of conventional strategies.
- Our finances have been stretched to the limit.
- The managers' skills and expertise were being tested to the limits.
- There is no limit to what we can achieve.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- outer
- northern
- southern
- …
verb + limit
- have
- approach
- near
- …
preposition
- above a/the limit
- at a/the limit
- below a/the limit
- …
See full entry
[plural] the furthest edge of an area or a place
- We were reaching the limits of civilization.
- the city limits (= the imaginary line which officially divides the city from the area outside)
- islands on the outer limit of the continent
see also off-limits
Extra Examples
- Fishing beyond the twelve-mile limit is not permitted.
- There was no school within a limit of ten miles.
- Let us wonder what stops at the limits of the universe.
- The trees are found only below a limit of 1 500 feet.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- outer
- northern
- southern
- …
verb + limit
- have
- approach
- near
- …
preposition
- above a/the limit
- at a/the limit
- below a/the limit
- …
See full entry

Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin limes, limit- ‘boundary, frontier’. The verb is from Latin limitare, from limes.

Idioms

be the limit

(old-fashioned, informal) to be extremely annoyingTopics Personal qualitiesc2

push the boundaries/limits

to attempt to go beyond what is allowed or thought to be possible
- We aim to push the boundaries of what we can achieve.
- She pushes her physical limits through various endurance challenges.

the sky’s the limit

(informal) there is no limit to what somebody can achieve, earn, do, etc.
- With a talent like his, the sky's the limit.
Topics Successc2

within limits

to some extent
- I'm willing to help, within limits.
- The children can do what they like, within limits.

without limit/limits

without a point at which something has to stop
- The debt is rising without limit.
- She's a free spirit and lives her life without limits.

limit

verb

OPAL WOPAL S

/ˈlɪmɪt/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they limit	/ˈlɪmɪt/ /ˈlɪmɪt/
he / she / it limits	/ˈlɪmɪts/ /ˈlɪmɪts/
past simple limited	/ˈlɪmɪtɪd/ /ˈlɪmɪtɪd/
past participle limited	/ˈlɪmɪtɪd/ /ˈlɪmɪtɪd/
-ing form limiting	/ˈlɪmɪtɪŋ/ /ˈlɪmɪtɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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limit something to stop something from increasing beyond a particular amount or level synonym restrict
- measures to limit carbon dioxide emissions
- The amount of money you have to spend will limit your choice.
- Try to limit the number of trips you make.
- to limit somebody's ability/freedom/power to do something
Extra Examples
- The guidelines include limiting the number of birds that can be kept in one cage.
- It's really important to limit the amount of fat in your diet.
- The room is small, which limits the size of table we can consider.
- He believes in limiting the power of government.
- There are laws which limit our freedom to act.
- In an effort to limit the damage to his career, he gave an interview.
- I don't know much about the subject, which limits my ability to comment.
- We try to limit the children's use of social media.
- The change in the law was designed to limit the scope for corruption.
- Rigid job descriptions can serve to limit productivity.
- They are working to limit oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
- Campaign spending was limited to a maximum of $500 000.
- Workshops are limited to a maximum of 25 participants.
- The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
- What are the factors limiting economic growth?
- Such agreements seek to limit the liability of air carriers.
- There are no regulations which limit the hours which ships' crews work.
- There is no evidence that the restrictions have limited the effectiveness of the advertising.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- drastically
- greatly
- seriously
- …
verb + limit
- attempt to
- seek to
- take steps to
- …
preposition
- to
See full entry
to stop yourself or somebody from having, using or doing more than a particular amount or number of something
- limit somebody/yourself You can use any material available—why limit yourself?
- limit somebody/yourself to something I've limited myself to 1 000 calories a day to try and lose weight.
- Families are limited to four free tickets each.
Extra Examples
- I limited myself to two small pieces of toast.
- For this design, he limited himself to basic geometric shapes.
- Few painters choose to limit themselves to only one type of subject.
- In this report, we limit ourselves to an examination of current legislation.
- There are many films I could mention but I will limit myself to just five.
- I try not to limit myself in what I think I can achieve.
- The writer does not limit herself to one time or place.
- We will have to limit you to two helpings each.
- During the last fuel crisis we had to limit people to £5 worth of fuel.
- Some shops were limiting customers to two loaves of bread each.
- Claimants are now limited to one emergency claim per year.
- The time restriction does limit us in terms of how many we can sell.
- The system limits us to 8-character passwords.
- With the premium account you are limited to four users.

Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin limes, limit- ‘boundary, frontier’. The verb is from Latin limitare, from limes.