delineate the boundaries

Meaning

To precisely mark, outline, or describe the limits, borders, or scope of a physical area, a project, a concept, or a professional relationship. It is used to establish where one thing ends and another begins.

Examples

• The contract must delineate the boundaries of our intellectual property rights.

  The contract must delineate the boundaries of our intellectual property rights.

• It is difficult to delineate the boundaries between work and personal life when working from home.

  It is difficult to delineate the boundaries between work and personal life when working from home.

• The land survey was ordered to delineate the boundaries of the commercial property.

  The land survey was ordered to delineate the boundaries of the commercial property.

• We need to delineate the boundaries of this research project to keep it manageable.

  We need to delineate the boundaries of this research project to keep it manageable.

• The manager tried to delineate the boundaries of acceptable behavior in the office.

  The manager tried to delineate the boundaries of acceptable behavior in the office.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ The document delineates about the boundaries of the partnership.

  ✓ The document delineates the boundaries of the partnership.

  'Delineate' is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'about'.

• ✗ We must delineate the bounds.

  ✓ We must delineate the boundaries.

  While 'bounds' is occasionally used, 'delineate the boundaries' is the far more common and natural collocation in professional settings.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The treaty was signed to ___ between the two neighboring countries.

  💡 Precisely mark the borders.

  Show answer

  delineate the boundaries

• Our primary task is to ___ of our legal liability in this transaction.

  💡 Outline the limits of what we are responsible for.

  Show answer

  delineate the boundaries