ENGLISH
REFERENCE

limit

n. countable
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɫɪmət// UK //lˈɪmɪt// lim·it Archaic General-service Informal

n. the greatest amount or level of something that is allowed or possible. It can also be a line or point that you cannot go past.

n. the final or furthest point or amount of something that is permitted or achievable. Often used to describe legal restrictions or the physical capacity of a system.


SIMPLE

The speed limit on this road is fifty miles per hour.

CONTEXTUAL

The bank set a strict limit on how much money customers could withdraw from the machine each day.

COMPLEX

While the human body has a biological limit for endurance, psychological factors often determine whether an athlete can push through the final stages of a race.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English limit, from Old French limit, from Latin līmes (“a cross-path or balk between fields, hence a boundary, boundary line or wall, any path or road, border, limit”). Displaced native Old English ġemǣre. Doublet of limes.

Etymology 2

From Middle English limiten, from Old French limiter, from Latin līmitō (“to bound, limit, fix, determine”), from līmes; see noun.

Usage

Commonly used with the preposition 'on' to indicate what is being restricted, or 'to' to indicate the extent of something.

Pitfall

There is a limit of the speed.There is a limit on the speed.When describing a restriction placed upon an activity, 'limit' typically takes the preposition 'on' rather than 'of'.

© 2026 English Reference