- limit
- {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} nounADJECTIVE▪ outer▪ northern, southern, etc.▪ three-mile, etc.▪ city, town (both esp. AmE)▪
a few miles outside of the city limits
▪ annual, daily, etc.▪Four cups of coffee is my daily limit.
▪ term (esp. AmE)▪term limits for members of Congress
▪ lifetime▪a lifetime limit of five years for welfare support
▪ absolute, extreme, ultimate▪I can offer you $50 but that's my absolute limit.
▪The vessel is operating at the extreme limits of the acceptable ranges.
▪ higher, maximum, upper▪ lower, minimum▪ severe, strict, stringent, tight▪The application must be made within a strict time limit.
▪ narrow▪We are forced to operate within relatively narrow limits.
▪ arbitrary▪the EU's arbitrary limits on fiscal policy
▪ finite▪the idea that the planet has finite limits
▪ age, height, size, speed, temperature, time, weight▪There's a weight limit on the bridge.
▪ physical▪ practical▪There's a practical limit to how small a portable computer can be.
▪ inherent▪the inherent limits of the hardware
▪ safe, safety▪The temperature is within safe operating limits.
▪ exposure▪the exposure limits to this group of chemicals
▪ emission▪The same emission limits apply to all engines.
▪ budget, contribution (esp. AmE), credit, financial (esp. BrE), income, overdraft (BrE), spending▪the IRS contribution limits
▪I don't want to go over my overdraft limit.
▪ constitutional, legal, prescribed, statutory▪ acceptable, allowable, appropriate, permissible, reasonable, recommended▪ clear, specific▪Establish clear limits, but keep rules to a minimum.
▪ established, fixed, set, specified▪Most credit card issuers have set limits on how low rates can go.
▪ posted (AmE)▪The posted speed limit is 35 mph.
▪ normal▪The engine was still reading well above normal limits.
▪ theoretical▪the theoretical limits of human knowledge
VERB + LIMIT▪ have▪The new law has its limits.
▪ approach, near, reach▪The industry was approaching the limits of expansion.
▪ cross▪ define, determine▪the narrow limits defined by the emperor
▪ explore▪She wants Zack to be free to explore his limits, experiment and try new things.
▪ establish, impose, place, put, set▪The government has set a limit on spending on the arts.
▪ enforce▪There's a strict time limit enforced by a penalty.
▪ respect▪We want to respect the limits that our elders have imposed on us.
▪ accept, acknowledge, recognize▪They recognize the limits of their conventional strategies.
▪ expand, extend, increase, raise▪ break▪She must have broken every speed limit in Los Angeles getting here.
▪ challenge, push, stretch, test▪Their designers have pushed the limits of technology in order to create something new.
▪ lower, reduce▪This led them to reduce the upper age limit from age 65 to age 59.
▪ exceed▪You were exceeding the speed limit.
▪ overcome, transcend▪ overstep, violate▪ push sb to▪She pushed me to the limit of my abilities.
PREPOSITION▪ above a/the limit▪The level of radioactivity in the soil was found to be above recommended limits.
▪ at a/the limit▪I was almost at the limits of my patience.
▪ below a/the limit▪The price fell below the lower limit.
▪The trees are found only below a limit of 1 500 feet.
▪ beyond a/the limit▪Heat levels rose beyond the recommended limits.
▪Fishing beyond the twelve-mile limit is not permitted.
▪ off limits▪The building is off limits to the public.
▪She explained it was her room and it was off limits.
▪ on a/the limit▪islands on the outer limit of the continent
▪ outside a/the limits▪lonely stretch of highway outside the city limits
▪ over a/the limit▪He'd been drinking and was well over the legal limit.
▪ up to a/the limit▪You can buy cigarettes up to a limit of 200 per person.
▪ within a/the limit▪They did well within the limits of their knowledge.
▪There was no school within a limit of ten miles.
▪ within limits▪The children can do what they like, within limits.
▪ without limit▪Banks may import currency without limit.
▪ limit on▪There's a limit on the number of tickets you can buy.
▪ limit to▪{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}There's a limit to what we can do to help.
verbADVERB▪ drastically, greatly, seriously, severely, sharply, significantly, strictly, substantially▪ effectively▪These regulations effectively limit our available strategic choices.
VERB + LIMIT▪ attempt to, seek to, take steps to, try to, work to▪They are working to limit oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
▪ be designed to▪The change in the law was designed to limit the scope for corruption.
▪ agree to▪ serve to, tend to▪Rigid job descriptions can serve to limit productivity.
▪ refuse to▪As a scientist I refuse to limit myself to these barriers.
PREPOSITION▪ to▪The teaching of history should not be limited to dates and figures.
Limit is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ability, ↑access, ↑ambition, ↑amount, ↑availability, ↑choice, ↑competition, ↑damage, ↑drinking, ↑duration, ↑effect, ↑effectiveness, ↑emission, ↑exercise, ↑expansion, ↑expenditure, ↑export, ↑exposure, ↑extent, ↑freedom, ↑growth, ↑horizon, ↑immigration, ↑import, ↑influence, ↑intake, ↑liability, ↑membership, ↑mobility, ↑movement, ↑number, ↑option, ↑participation, ↑pollution, ↑power, ↑range, ↑reach, ↑right, ↑risk, ↑scope, ↑size, ↑spread, ↑supply, ↑use, ↑usefulness, ↑utility
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
