speed limit

noun

1. the maximum speed at which a vehicle is legally permitted to travel, as within a specific area, on a certain road, or under given conditions.

speed limit

noun

1. the maximum permitted speed at which a vehicle may travel on certain roads

Word History and Origins

Origin of speed limit¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

The stock headlights on your car or truck might work fine on well-lit streets, but they probably aren’t powerful enough to enable safe driving on completely unlit rural roads while motoring at or close to the speed limit.

From Outside Online

The vehicles have a maximum speed of 25 mph and are only approved to operate in fair weather conditions on streets with a speed limit of no more than 35 mph.

From TechCrunch

Repeating a message is an example of using a code to transmit a message, and by using different and more sophisticated codes, one can communicate fast — all the way up to the speed limit, C — while maintaining a given degree of reliability.

From Quanta Magazine

Small raindrops fall at a higher velocity than large ones — so fast, they break the speed limit.

From Science News For Students

I also get that high by driving a little sports car around London trying to keep to the speed limits here.

From Fortune

The driver then got on the highway and started going "well above the speed limit," with the taxi inspector still in tow.

From The Daily Beast

Going the speed limit, the trip to the Otselic camp takes an hour.

From The Daily Beast

Defense lawyers countered that Batista never exceeded the legal speed limit and that he could not have avoided the cyclist.

From The Daily Beast

The speed limit is, luckily, the same speed as my brainstorming speed.

From The Daily Beast

“Red-light and speed-safety cameras only generate revenue when drivers exceed the speed limit or run red lights,” Territo said.

From The Daily Beast

Uncle Joe sometimes exceeded the speed limit leaving town but usually went in at a respectable gait.

From Project Gutenberg

Polly was fixed in her determination not to exceed the speed limit, at any rate on outward journeys.

From Project Gutenberg

Meanwhile, Lennard raced down to Portsmouth at a pace that by comparison made the speed limit as slow as that of a tortoise.

From Project Gutenberg

Speed limit, 28 kilometres per hour in open country down to 12 kilometres in the towns.

From Project Gutenberg

However much the rest of the year may drag, the spring vacation always ignores the speed limit.

From Project Gutenberg