Meanings
- not comparableNot to be entered or used; restricted.
The pond was off-limits to swimmers.
4 more examples
Irregardless, ex-boyfriends are just off-limits to friends. I mean that's just, like, the rules of feminism.
2004, Tina Fey, Mean Girls, spoken by Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert)According to Yang, the six islets have been purely military for more than five decades. "These islets were completely off-limits to civilians, even to Kinmen residents," Yang said.
2004 October 18, “Kinmen seeks to develop six demilitarized islets”, in Taipei TimesTo Restricted Area Directions The restricted area is off-limits to all unauthorized personnel.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: NoveriaIt was truly one of the most horrific filming experiences of my career there, contrasting neatly with some of the best of my career - filming in various off-limits storerooms at LTM's Acton Depot.
2021 June 30, Tim Dunn, “How we made... Secrets of the London Underground”, in RAIL, number 934, pages 49–50Synonyms: out of bounds
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveNot to be entered or used; restricted.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivebarred to a designated group
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
off-limits. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off-limits
“off-limits.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off-limits. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “off-limits,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off-limits.
Source: off-limits on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.