From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
bounds
n 1: the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of
something [syn: boundary, bound]
2: the greatest possible degree of something; "what he did was
beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior"; "to the limit
of his ability" [syn: limit, boundary]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
bounds \bounds\ n.
1. the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of
something; as, the fotball was caught out of bounds.
Syn: boundary, bound.
[WordNet 1.5]
2. the greatest possible extent or degree of something.
Syn: limit, boundary.
[WordNet 1.5]