1 the greatest or smallest amount of sth that is allowed or possible 极限;限度:
a speed/age/time limit速度╱年龄╱时间限制He was fined for exceeding the speed limit.他开车超速而被罚款。There's a limit to the amount of time I'm prepared to spend on this.我准备花在这上面的时间是有限度的。
2 the outside edge of a place or area 界限:
the city limits市区范围Lorries are not allowed within a two-mile limit of the town centre.市中心两英里范围内不准卡车行驶。
off limits (US 美) =OUT OF BOUNDSwithin limits only up to a reasonable point or amount 适度地;有限度地
*limit²
/ˈlɪmɪt ||; ˈlɪmɪt/verb
[T] limit sb/sth (to sth) to keep sb/sth within or below a certain amount, size, degree or area 限制;限定:
In China families are limited to just one child.在中国,每个家庭只可以生一个孩子。
limit1/ˋlImIt; ˈlImət or ˈlImIt/n [C]1 the greatest or least amount, number etc that is allowed or possible〔最大或最小的〕限度﹔限制: +to/on There is a limit on the time you have to take the test. 测验有时间限制。We set a limit on our spending. 我们给自己的开支设定了限额。within a limit He finished within the time limit . 他在规定的时间里完成。a 40 mph speed limit 40 英里的时速限制There is no age limit for applicants. 申请者没有年龄限制。+of the limits of human knowledge 人类知识的极限He’d reached the limit of his patience. 他已经忍无可忍了。2 the border or edge of a place 界限﹐边界: Los Angeles city limits 洛杉矶的市区范围3 off limits beyond the area where someone is allowed to go 禁止入内: The beach is off limits after midnight. 这个海滩午夜过后禁止进入。4 within limits within the time, level, amount etc considered acceptable 在合理限度内: You can come and go as you want – within limits. 你可以自由来去—但要有分寸。5 be over the limit to have drunk more than the legal amount of alcohol for driving〔驾驶〕饮酒过量
limit2v [T] 1 to stop something from increasing beyond a particular point 限制〔某物的增加〕﹐限定: a decision to limit imports of foreign cars 限制外国汽车进口的决定limit sth to sth Seating is limited to 500. 额定座位 500 个。2 to stop someone from doing something or developing 限制﹐制约〔做某事或发展〕: A lack of education will limit your job opportunities. 缺少教育会限制你的就业机会。limit yourself to sth I limit myself to two cups of coffee a day. 我限制自己一天只喝两杯咖啡。3 be limited to sth to exist or happen only in a particular place, group etc 局限于…: The damage was limited to the roof. 只有屋顶受到了损坏。—limiting adj
limitlimitlimits1nounthe most that is possible or allowed: There is a limit to the amount of pain we can bear. What is the speed limit (= how fast are you allowed to go)?limitlimitlimitslimitedlimiting2verb (limits, limiting, limited)to do or have no more than a certain amount or number: There are only 100 seats, so we must limit the number of tickets we sell.