push the envelope

Register · Neutral Neutral — appropriate in most situations, both spoken and written, without sounding too casual or too stiff. CEFR B2

Post

Figurative meaning

to go beyond the limits of what is known or accepted

Why this phrase?

Test pilots flew to the edge of an aircraft's 'flight envelope' — its safe limits; the phrase urges going right to that edge.

Example

“The designers pushed the envelope with that radical new shape.”

Dictionary details

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

bleeding edge Informal · CEFR C1

the very newest and most experimental technology, so new it may be unstable or unreliable

can of worms Informal · CEFR B1

a complicated problem that causes trouble the moment it is touched

domino effect Neutral · CEFR B1

a chain reaction in which one event triggers a series of similar events

in broad daylight Neutral · CEFR B1

openly and where people can clearly see it, especially during the daytime

in the nick of time Neutral · CEFR B1

at the latest moment when success is still possible

leap of faith Neutral · CEFR B1

an act of trusting or committing without evidence or guarantees

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

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