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upper limit

upper limit

7 3.2
The highest allowed amount or value of something
  • noun
  • /ˈʌpər ˈlɪmɪt/
translation icon : límite superior
  • He reached the upper limit of his budget when he bought the new laptop.
  • upper limit of normal
  • set an upper limit
  • estimated upper limit

Well, this woman is right up against the upper limit and well, OK.

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Examples

  • For safety, the hospital sets an upper limit on the number of patients in the emergency room.

  • What is your upper limit for a Prime subscription?

  • There is no upper limit on my costs, nor is there one on my charges.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • And we continue taking data to keep bringing that upper limit down.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The supply of resources, particularly oil, is the primary upper limit to production and consumption today.

    Blog text (13)
  • In practice, this upper limit could be set to any value deemed reasonable.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Initially, Congress authorized legislation to provide 40% of all special education costs, but this upper limit was never reached.

    Academic text (2000)
  • There is no fixed upper limit on the sustainable use of biological resources for aesthetic purposes.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I'm interested in that number because that's going to be the upper limit to any reaction rate.

  • Statisticians can calculate that the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval is 3%.

    Academic text (1994)

Synonyms

limit
vsupper limit
432 1.0

The greatest amount or number allowed

specifies specifically the highest possible or allowed point rather than a general boundary
peak
vsupper limit
368 2.1

The highest point something reaches, like a mountain or an achievement

describes steady highest allowed amount rather than a brief top level
bound
vsupper limit
132 5.8

A line or limit that shows the edge of an area

applies to highest allowed numerical values rather than physical edges or lines
ceiling
vsupper limit
110 3.7

An upper limit on the amount or number allowed

is the general highest allowed value rather than an imposed cap
maximum
vsupper limit
95 2.1

The greatest amount allowed or possible

is the more general phrase rather than a single formal word
max
vsupper limit
91 4.3

The highest possible amount or level

is the full phrase rather than the short informal form
highest point
vsupper limit
11 3.7

The top level that something reaches

refers to the maximum allowed value rather than a temporal or positional top
upper bound
vsupper limit
  • Specialized
3 7.2

A number that is as big as or bigger than every number in a set

is the everyday general highest allowed value rather than a math concept

Antonyms

lower limit
  • Specialized
1 3.5

The smallest amount or value that is allowed

How High

maximum
95 2.1
upper limit
7 3.2
lower limit
  • Specialized
1 3.5

Surface Forms

upper limit singular
upper limits plural

Morphology

upper + limit

The meaning 'the highest possible or allowed point' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'upper' (situated toward the top) with 'limit' (the highest permissible quantity or degree). This compositional relation is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so an average B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Upper limit comes from a simple image: imagine a ruler or a measuring cup with a mark at the very top. The part upper means 'top' and limit means 'a line you must not pass', so upper limit means the highest point or amount you are allowed.