defining moment

noun

1. a point at which the essential nature or character of a person, group, etc., is revealed or identified.

Word History and Origins

Origin of defining moment¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

It was from here that he launched the 1930 Salt March, a defining moment in the struggle against British rule.

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Senior government figures know that driving a coach and horses through that manifesto promise will be visible from space and could be a, if not the defining moment for Sir Keir Starmer and Reeves.

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The arrival of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere marked a defining moment in the planet's history, transforming it into a world capable of supporting complex life.

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“What stands out is the essential quality of leadership on both sides of this defining moment,” Mr. Ellis writes.

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That score, on a wet afternoon in October 1994, was a defining moment - for the scorer, for the sport, even for the BBC's commentator that day.

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