Word family noun limit limitation delimitation adjective limited ≠ unlimited limiting limitless verb limit delimit
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlimitlim‧it1 /ˈlɪmɪt/ ●●● S2 W2 noun [countable] 1 greatest/least allowedLIMIT the greatest or least amount, number, speed etc that is allowed a 55 mph speed limitlimit for There’s no age limit for applicants.limit to/on My wife and I set a limit on how much we spend on clothes.above/over/below a limit Pesticide levels in drinking water are already above legal limits in many areas.2 greatest amount possible (also limits)LIMIT the greatest possible amount of something that can exist or be obtainedlimit of the limits of human knowledge He’d reached the limit of his patience. Our finances are already stretched to the limit (=we do not have any extra money). There’s no limit to what you can do if you try.3 place (also limits)LIMIT the furthest point or edge of a place, often one that must not be passed He had not been outside the limits of the prison walls for 20 years. The public is not allowed within a 2-mile limit of the missile site. Los Angeles city limits4 → off limits5 → within limits6 → be over the limit7 → know your limits8 → have your limitsCOLLOCATIONSverbsset a limit (also impose a limit formal)Set a time limit for the completion of the task.put a limit on somethingWe have to put a limit on the number of participants.exceed a limit (=go beyond a limit)He reported a driver for exceeding the speed limit.go over a limit (=go beyond a limit)Borrowers who go over the spending limit set by the credit card company are penalised.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + limitan upper/lower limit (=the highest/lowest amount allowed)There is no upper limit on the amount you can borrow.Ensure the temperature in the aquarium does not fall below the lower limit.a strict limitThere are strict limits on spending.a legal limit (=a limit set by law)The alcohol in his blood was four times more than the legal limit.the speed limitToo many people go over the speed limit in residential areas.a time limitThe time limit for making a claim is three months.an age limitThe lower age limit for entering the Royal Marines is sixteen.a weight/height limitThe weight limit per bag is 20 kilos.spending limitsThere are strict spending limits imposed by law on all candidates.term limits American English (=limits on how much time a politician can spend in office)Should Senators be subject to term limits? THESAURUSlimit the highest number, speed, temperature etc that is allowed by a law or ruleHe borrowed money up to the limit that the bank allowed.The speed limit is 65 m.p.h.There’s no limit on the amount of money that may be brought into the US.Pollution levels are over the official limit.Some families set limits on how much they spend on each other’s Christmas present.restrictions rules or laws that strictly control what you are allowed to doTravel restrictions might reduce the spread of the disease.Unions are pressing for restrictions on steel imports from Japan.Because of restrictions on reporting, newspapers were not allowed to cover the story.New restrictions have been imposed on immigration.limitations limits on what a person or thing is able to do – used especially when you would like to be able to do moreThe president was unwilling to accept limitations on his power.the limitations of the computer system Hikers should know their physical limitations and not take unnecessary risks.constraints facts or conditions that limit what you can do, for example not having enough time, money etc Financial constraints are forcing many people in their twenties to live with their parents.The last part of the show had to be cut because of time constraints.The constraints of prison life are sometimes too much for people to bear.maximum the largest number or amount that is possible, normal, or allowedClasses have a maximum of twenty students.What’s the maximum you can earn before you have to pay tax?minimum the smallest number or amount that is possible or allowedHe was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison.Our aim is to reduce the number of accidents to an absolute minimum.ceiling the largest number or amount of something that is officially allowedThere is a ceiling on the amount of foreign investment.Import quotas may rise from the present ceiling of 18.5 million to 20 million.Congress was once again considering raising the federal debt ceiling. Examples from the Corpus
limit• The following cases examine the scope and limits of school authority to regulate different types of student publications.• Unfortunately, this request didn't come within the trust beneficiary limits.• Are you at, or near, your credit limit?• There's no limit on the amount of money that may be brought into the US.• Pollution levels in the water were found to be over the official limit.• Their job is to make sure that no-one flies beyond their own limits and those of the aircraft.• He is prevented from owning more because of both foreign ownership and cross-media ownership limits.• Some families set limits on how much they spend on each other's Christmas present.• The Interstate speed limit is 65 m.p.h.• The speed limit is 65 mph.• Cheltenham Borough Council wants to save the money to meet government spending limits.• I feel that I have pushed the limits of his patience.• He borrowed money up to the limit that the bank allowed.• As cognitive development reaches an upper limit with full attainment of formal operations, so too does affective development.limit to/on• There's a limit on the time you have to take the test.• There are limits to what technology can achieve in the absence of sustained, high-level government interest in agricultural policy.• My purpose has been limited to increasing a level of awareness, rather than attempting to supply solutions.• And even limited to plenitude, they seem only implicitly supportive.• The idea is not new, nor is it limited to the fringes.• It turned out that that impact was not limited to volcanic eruptions.• This method of control is principally limited to geographical or ecological islands and perennial crops.• Everyone has to put limits on their emotional engagement with others - comprehensive engagement would be intolerable.• Are there limits on the amounts the policy will pay during your lifetime?limit of• the limits of human knowledge city limits• Since then, 1,434 other people have been been killed in the city limits.• People who reside inside the city limits make up 60 percent of the population of the community.• Inside the city limits a prowl car was parked.• I stumbled out of town with barely enough strength to reach the city limits.• From the Bypass east to the city limits, the A71 has been built as a dual carriageway, 7.3 metres wide.• Have a car ready to take me to the city limits.• The would-be acquirer is said to live within the city limits of Santa Clara, California.• The city limits encompassed 91 square miles, and the water bill for the average household was $ 8.limitlimit2 ●●● S3 W2 verb 1 [transitive]LIMIT to stop an amount or number from increasing beyond a particular point a decision to limit imports of foreign carslimit something to something Seating is limited to 500.2 [transitive]PREVENT to stop someone from doing what they want or from developing and improving beyond a particular point A lack of formal education will limit your job opportunities.limit yourself to something I limit myself to two cups of coffee a day.3 → be limited to something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
limit• Let's limit our discussion to the facts in the report.• As long as the problems being addressed were limited, the degree of acceptable organizational change was limited.• The higher toll should limit the number of cars on the bridge.• The new law limits the number of foreign cars that can be imported.• The agreement in Washington has muffled the many disagreements encountered along this road by limiting the West's aims.• It was limited to five hundred copies and afterwards the type was destroyed.• However, it was limited to one particular unit.• Men hold most of the top jobs, and this limits women's opportunities for promotion.• Think space appeal here, and limit your opener to two to five lines.• As you look for material to write about, don't limit yourself to other people's ideas.limit something to something• Seating is limited to 500.limit yourself to something• He had ranged ahead, limiting himself to brusque commands and a variety of signals.• In this regard, do not limit yourself to experts.• The system made no attempt to determine deep structure parses, limiting itself to finding surface parse trees.• Despite the title and setting, he heroically limits himself to only one Elvis.• The shorter ones among them generally limit themselves to praise-affirmations but do not as yet have any particular type of conclusion.• In contrast, governments that put steering and rowing within the same organization limit themselves to relatively narrow strategies.• In arguing this I shall limit myself to the internal characteristics of the National Curriculum.• Behavioural psychologists prefer to limit themselves to the physically observable.• I limit myself to two cups of coffee a day.From Longman Business Dictionarylimitlim‧it1 /ˈlɪmɪt/ noun [countable] the greatest amount, size, number etc that is possible or allowedThe contract specifies various time limits and penalty clauses.Insurance cover for deep-freeze goods is free of charge up to a limit of £500. → credit limit → floor limitlimitlimit2 verb [transitive]1to stop something going beyond a particular pointThe costs of limiting air pollution are difficult to determine.limit something to somethingThe law limits political donations to $500 from each voter.2to reduce the amount, number etc of something a person or organization may havelimit somebody/something to somethingSubscribers were limited to twenty shares each.→ See Verb tableOrigin limit1 (1300-1400) French limite, from Latin limes “edge, boundary” 