limited budget

Meaning

1. 1nouncountable

   A small amount of money available to spend on a particular purpose, which forces careful choices about what to buy or do.

   Grammar: Usually singular with an or the: we are working with a limited budget.

   Patterns

   • on a limited budget
   • work with a limited budget

   The school managed to put on a play on a limited budget.

   With a limited budget, they chose to paint the walls themselves.

   The team had a limited budget, so every purchase needed approval.

Common combinations

on a limited budget

She traveled across Europe on a limited budget.

work with a limited budget

Small charities often work with a limited budget.

operate within a limited budget

The department must operate within a limited budget this year.

stretch a limited budget

Buying second-hand helped them stretch a limited budget.

despite a limited budget

Despite a limited budget, the film won several awards.

Synonyms and how they differ

tight budget

Tight budget suggests real pressure and little room for extra spending, while limited budget just says the amount is small.

small budget

Small budget describes only the size of the amount, but limited budget also hints that the amount restricts what you can do.

shoestring budget

Shoestring budget is informal and stresses that money is extremely scarce.

Opposites

Word family

budget noun

a plan for spending money

budget verb

to plan how to spend money

budgetary adjective

relating to a budget

limit noun

a point that should not be passed

limited adjective

small in amount or extent

Commonly confused: limited budget or limited company?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “limited budget”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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