An Americanism dating back to 1950–55
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Watching Rex Reed from my father’s off-limits black leather chair in the living room as my mother ironed was an uncomfortable experience for me.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
But for investors, Russian gas companies are probably off-limits.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
“When money feels like an off-limits topic to kids, they might fill in the gaps themselves, and not always accurately.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026
The topic of “taking work away from lawyers” was off-limits for a recent project promoting an e-legal review product, he said, so he focused on how it augmented employees’ work.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
City police departments, like the LAPD, are also typically off-limits.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
