limit

II. limit² S3 W2 BrE AmE verb
[Word Family: noun: ↑limit, ↑limitation, ↑delimitation; adjective: ↑limited ≠ ↑unlimited, ↑limiting, ↑limitless; verb: ↑limit, ↑delimit]
1. [transitive] to stop an amount or number from increasing beyond a particular point:
a decision to limit imports of foreign cars
limit something to something
Seating is limited to 500.
2. [transitive] 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 to exist or happen only in a particular place, group, or area of activity:
The damage was limited to the roof.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

verb
1. ~ sth (to sth) to stop sth from increasing beyond a particular amount or level
Syn: restrict
• measures to limit carbon dioxide emissions from cars

• The amount of money you have to spend will limit your choice.

2. ~ yourself/sb (to sth) to restrict or reduce the amount of sth that you or sb can have or use
• Families are limited to four free tickets each.
• I've limited myself to 1 000 calories a day to try and lose weight.
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
late Middle English: from Latin limes, limit- ‘boundary, frontier’. The verb is from Latin limitare, from limes.
Thesaurus:
limit verb
1. T
• This diet limits your calories to 1 000 a day.
restrict • • control • • curb • • check • • rein sth in • • hold/keep sth in check • |especially BrE cap • |written contain • • suppress •
be limited/restricted to sth
limit/restrict/control/curb/check/rein in/cap spending
limit/restrict/control the size/number/extent/amount of sth
Limit or restrict? Limit is used both about controlling what people can do and also about controlling the effects of sth; restrict is used more often about controlling what people can do:
• to limit carbon dioxide emissions
¤ to restrict carbon dioxide emissions
2. T, often passive
• Free tickets are limited to three per family.
restrict • • confine sb/sth to sth • |formal constrain •
limit/restrict/confine sb/sth to sth
limit/restrict/confine yourself to sth
Example Bank:
• As a scientist I refuse to limit myself to these barriers.
• Rigid job descriptions can serve to limit productivity.
• The change in the law was designed to limit the scope for corruption.
• These regulations effectively limit our available strategic choices.
• They are working to limit oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Calorie intake is strictly limited to 1 000 a day.
• Campaign spending was limited to a maximum of $500 000.
• 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.
• They introduced measures to limit carbon dioxide emissions from cars.

• I've limited myself to 1 000 calories a day to try and lose weight.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

limit / ˈlɪm.ɪt / verb [ T ]

B2 to control something so that it is not greater than a particular amount, number, or level:

I've been asked to limit my speech to ten minutes maximum.

Having so little money to spend on an apartment does limit you in your choice.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

limit

[lɪ̱mɪt]
limits, limiting, limited
1) N-COUNT: usu sing, usu with supp A limit is the greatest amount, extent, or degree of something that is possible.
  Her love for him was being tested to its limits...
  There is no limit to how much fresh fruit you can eat in a day...
  Firefighters are being stretched to the limit as fire sweeps through the drought-stricken state.
2) N-COUNT: usu with supp A limit of a particular kind is the largest or smallest amount of something such as time or money that is allowed because of a rule, law, or decision.
  The three month time limit will be up in mid-June...
  The economic affairs minister announced limits on petrol sales.
3) N-COUNT: with supp The limit of an area is its boundary or edge.
  ...the city limits of Baghdad.
4) N-PLURAL: usu N of n The limits of a situation are the facts involved in it which make only some actions or results possible.
  She has to work within the limits of a fairly tight budget...
  He outlined the limits of British power.
  Syn:
  confines
5) VERB If you limit something, you prevent it from becoming greater than a particular amount or degree.
  [V n] He limited payments on the country's foreign debt...
  [V n to n] The view was that the economy would grow by 2.25 per cent. This would limit unemployment to around 2.5 million.
  Syn:
  restrict
6) VERB If you limit yourself to something, or if someone or something limits you, the number of things that you have or do is reduced.
  [V pron-refl to n/-ing] It is now accepted that men should limit themselves to 20 units of alcohol a week...
  [V n to n/-ing] Voters cut councillors' pay and limited them to one staff member each. [Also V pron-refl]
  Derived words:
  limiting ADJ-GRADED The conditions laid down to me were not too limiting.
7) VERB: usu passive If something is limited to a particular place or group of people, it exists only in that place, or is had or done only by that group.
  [be V-ed to n/-ing] The protests were not limited to New York...
  [be V-ed to n/-ing] Entry to this prize draw is limited to UK residents.
8) → See also age limit, limited
9) PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR to n If an area or a place is off limits, you are not allowed to go there.
  A one-mile area around the wreck is still off limits...
  These establishments are off limits to ordinary citizens.
  Syn:
  out of bounds
10) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If you say that something is off limits, you mean that you are not allowed to do it.
  Smoking was off limits everywhere.
11) PHRASE: usu v-link PHR If someone is over the limit, they have drunk more alcohol than they are legally allowed to when driving a vehicle. [BRIT]
  If police breathalyse me and find I am over the limit I face a long ban and a crippling fine...
  He was found to be three times over the limit.
12) PHRASE: V inflects If you say the sky is the limit, you mean that there is nothing to prevent someone or something from being very successful.
  They have found that, in terms of both salary and career success, the sky is the limit.
13) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you add within limits to a statement, you mean that it is true or applies only when talking about reasonable or normal situations.
  In the circumstances we'll tell you what we can, within limits, of course, and in confidence.
  Syn:
  within reason

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

limit

²limit verb -its; -it·ed; -it·ing [+ obj]
1 : to stop or prevent an increase in (something)
• We need to find ways to limit expenses. : to keep (something) from becoming greater
• He tried to limit the damage to his reputation by blaming other people.
• A factor limiting our country's economic performance is its lack of resources.
• His political enemies have tried to limit [=restrict] his power.
2 : to prevent (something) from being larger, longer, more, etc. : to place a limit on the size or extent of (something)
• The hospital limits [=restricts] visits to 30 minutes.
• Our lack of money limits our options.
- often used (be) limited to
• Visits are limited to 30 minutes. [=visits must not be longer than 30 minutes]
• The damage from the fire was limited to the rear of the building. [=only the rear of the building was damaged by the fire]
3 : to stop (someone) from having or doing more : to place a limit on (someone)
• Our lack of money limits [=restricts] us to fewer options.
• Because of our lack of money, we have to limit ourselves to fewer options.
- often used as (be) limited to
• Guests are limited to visits of no longer than 30 minutes.
• We are limited to fewer options by our lack of money.