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Glite Dictionary
to go too far

to go too far

242 4.2
Say or do something that is not acceptable and may hurt people
  • phrasal verb
: pasarse
  • She felt that her comments during the meeting had gone too far and decided to apologize.
  • I went too far
  • say the laws go too far
  • laws go too far

So before we go too far down this road, let's start.

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Examples

  • So before we go too far down this road, let's start.

    Shawn Ryan Show

  • I realized I had gone too far when I offended my friend with my jokes.

  • I think we have gone too far at times.

  • Well if it went too far, what would the cost be?

  • I may have gone too far and got my husband very upset with me.

    Shane2

  • But now things have gone too far and we're not going back.

  • Or has it gone too far?

    Fall (2022)

  • I knew that one of those times we were going to go too far.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • But now some members of the bar think they have gone too far, and society is the big loser.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Of course, you don't want to go too far even with that.

Synonyms

to exceed
vsto go too far
269 4.1

To be greater than a set amount or beyond what people expect

applies specifically to exceeding reasonable social or behavioral limits
to go beyond
vsto go too far
266 3.6

To exceed a limit or what people expect

is narrower, focusing on acceptable behavior and speech rather than any limit
to cross the line
vsto go too far
  • Informal
116 4.5

Act in a way that goes too far and is not right

emphasizes exceeding reasonable speech or action limits rather than only conduct rules
to overdo
vsto go too far
64 3.6

Do something too much, more than needed

focuses more on crossing acceptable limits in speech or conduct not only excess
to go overboard
vsto go too far
  • Informal
55 4.4

To do something more than is needed

relates to exceeding limits in behavior or speech rather than mere excess
to overstep
vsto go too far
43 5.9

To go beyond a limit or rule

focuses on exceeding reasonable social or personal limits in speech and action
to take too far
vsto go too far
35 5.3

To go beyond what is reasonable or acceptable

emphasizes exceeding personal or social limits specifically in speech and action
to step over the line
vsto go too far
  • Informal
13 5.0

Go beyond what people consider acceptable

focuses specifically on exceeding reasonable behavioral or speech limits
to transgress
vsto go too far
13 7.8

To do something that breaks a law, rule, or your idea of right and wrong

is less formal and more about everyday speech or behavior limits than legal violation
to overstretch
vsto go too far
4 5.5

To push someone or something beyond what they can manage

focuses on breaking acceptable behavioral or speech limits rather than capacity strain
to overreach
vsto go too far
4 6.2

To go beyond what you are allowed to do

focuses more on everyday speech and conduct rather than power or authority
to overrun
vsto go too far
2 5.3

Go past a limit or planned time

concerns exceeding acceptable speech or behavior limits rather than physical overflow
to overstep the mark
vsto go too far
  • UK
2 6.2

To behave in a way people think is not acceptable

is used more generally for exceeding reasonable limits across speech and behavior
to cross the red line
vsto go too far
  • Literature
1 6.3

To go past a limit people set and cause serious problems

means exceeding reasonable limits but with greater seriousness and consequence

Antonyms

to limit
465 2.1

To control how much or how often something happens

reasonable
179 2.2

A moderate amount or size that is not extreme

How Excessive

to cross the line
  • Informal
116 4.5
to overstep
43 5.9
to go too far
242 4.2
pushing boundaries
  • Informal
19 6.0

Surface Forms

go too far infinitive
going too far present participle
goes too far third person singular
went too far past
gone too far past participle

Morphology

go + too + far

The meaning 'to exceed reasonable or acceptable limits' is directly derivable from combining 'go' (to move or enter a state) with the degree phrase 'too far' (excessively). This is a regular compositional pattern (go + degree adverb) and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the three words will readily infer the intended sense.

Etymology

Go too far comes from the simple picture of someone walking past a clear line or limit. If you go too far you pass that line, so it now means 'to do or say more than is reasonable or acceptable'.