statute of limitations


nounLaw.
  1. a statute defining the period within which legal action may be taken.

Origin of statute of limitations

1
First recorded in 1760–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for statute of limitations

statute of limitations

noun
  1. a legislative enactment prescribing the period of time within which proceedings must be instituted to enforce a right or bring an action at law: See also laches

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for statute of limitations

statute of limitations

Any law that places a time restriction during which a lawsuit must be brought to court or a crime must be prosecuted.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.