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time limit

time limit

35 2.7
A set time by which you must finish something
  • noun
  • /taɪm ˈlɪmɪt/
translation icon : límite de tiempo
  • You need to submit your report by Friday; remember that the time limit is strict.
  • set a time limit
  • impose a time limit
  • enforce time limits

So I truly believe you can't put a time limit on your dreams.

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Examples

  • If we wait till Monday, my time limit runs out.

  • Okay, we've reached the time limit on this, Walter.

  • I think also that the time limit, the time limit actually helps Trump.

  • Two things I want us to remember is that you have a specific time limit and limited time.

  • And he was set a time limit, so have to get it right within a certain time limit.

  • This offer now has a time limit.

  • We must do this within a certain time limit.

  • As in Part I, the time limit is ten minutes.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Due to the popularity of bear watching, time limits have been established by the national park.

    Academic text (1994)
  • And that is why some of the best IQ tests have a time limit, because if you have no time limit, people can do better.

Synonyms

deadline
vstime limit
490 1.8

A time by which something must be finished

is a span of time ending at that point rather than only the moment
tight deadline
vstime limit
3 3.6

A short time to finish a task

is a period that can be longer or more flexible than that

Antonyms

27 4.9

A plan or agreement that has no fixed end and can change

How Strict

deadline
490 1.8
time limit
35 2.7

Surface Forms

time limit singular
time limits plural

Morphology

time + limit

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'time' (a span or period) with 'limit' (a restriction): it denotes a restriction on the amount of time allowed, i.e. a deadline. This straightforward noun+noun composition is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase time limit comes from the picture of time with a clear limit, like a mark on a clock or a line in a race that shows when you must stop. So it means 'a deadline' or the time by which you must finish something.