lim·it (l?m??t)n.1. The point, edge, or line beyond which something ends, may not go, or is not allowed: the 12-mile fishing limit; the limit of my patience.2. limits The boundary surrounding a specific area; bounds: within the city limits.3. Something that restricts or restrains; a restraint: The child needs to have limits put on his behavior.4. The greatest or least amount, number, or extent allowed or possible: a withdrawal limit of $200; no minimum age limit.5. Games The largest amount which may be bet at one time in games of chance.6. Abbr. lim Mathematics a. A number or point L that is approached by a function f(x) as x approaches a if, for every positive number ?, there exists a number ? such that ?f(x)-L? N. Also called limit point.7. Informal One that is intolerable, remarkable, or extreme in some other way: “That’s the limit!” the babysitter exclaimed after the child spilled a glass of milk.tr.v. lim·it·ed, lim·it·ing, lim·its To confine or restrict with a limit: Let’s limit the discussion to what is doable. The offer limits us to three for a dollar.[Middle English limite, from Old French, border, from Latin l?mes, l?mit-, border, limit.]lim?it·a·ble adj.Synonyms: limit, restrict, confine, circumscribe These verbs mean to establish or keep within specified bounds. Limit refers principally to the establishment of a maximum beyond which a person or thing cannot or may not go: The Constitution limits the president’s term of office to four years. To restrict is to keep within prescribed limits, as of choice or action: The sale of alcohol is restricted to people who are 21 and older. Confine suggests imprisonment, restraint, or impediment: The children were confined to the nursery. Circumscribe connotes an encircling or surrounding line that confines, especially narrowly: “A man … should not circumscribe his activity by any inflexible fence of rigid rules” (John Stuart Blackie).American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.limit (?l?m?t) n1. (sometimes plural) the ultimate extent, degree, or amount of something: the limit of endurance. 2. (often plural) the boundary or edge of a specific area: the city limits. 3. (often plural) the area of premises within specific boundaries4. the largest quantity or amount allowed5. (Mathematics) maths a. a value to which a function f(x) approaches as closely as desired as the independent variable approaches a specified value (x = a) or approaches infinityb. a value to which a sequence an approaches arbitrarily close as n approaches infinityc. the limit of a sequence of partial sums of a convergent infinite series: the limit of 1 + + + + ? is 2. 6. (Mathematics) maths one of the two specified values between which a definite integral is evaluated7. the limit informal a person or thing that is intolerably exasperating8. off limits a. out of boundsb. forbidden to do or use: smoking was off limits everywhere. 9. within limits to a certain or limited extent: I approve of it within limits. vb (tr) , -its, -iting or -ited10. to restrict or confine, as to area, extent, time, etc11. (Law) law to agree, fix, or assign specifically[C14: from Latin l?mes boundary] ?limitable adj ?limitableness n ?limitless adj ?limitlessly adv ?limitlessness nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014lim?it (?l?m ?t) n. 1. the final, utmost, or furthest boundary or point as to extent, amount, continuance, etc. 2. a boundary or bound, as of a country or district. 3. limits, the premises or region enclosed within boundaries. 4. Math. a number such that the value of a given function remains arbitrarily close to this number when the independent variable is sufficiently close to a specified point or is sufficiently large. 5. the maximum sum by which a bet may be raised at any one time. 6. the limit, Informal. something or someone that exasperates, delights, etc., to an extreme degree. v.t. 7. to restrict by or as if by establishing limits. 8. to confine or keep within limits: to limit expenditures. [1325?75; Middle English lymyt