breaking point
Americannoun
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the point at which a person, object, structure, etc., collapses under stress.
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the point at which a situation or condition becomes critical.
noun
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the point at which something or someone gives way under strain
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the moment of crisis in a situation
Etymology
Origin of breaking point
First recorded in 1895–1900
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Four years ago, Dr. Brandon Williams, an internal-medicine doctor at a hospital in La Jolla, Calif., reached a breaking point.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
"When the nanopillars are closer together, more of them can press on the same virus at once, stretching its outer shell past breaking point."
From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026
It’s true airfare hasn’t yet reached a breaking point at which people are avoiding the skies completely because they can no longer afford to fly.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
This is stretching the word’s definition past its breaking point.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026
It stretches plausibility to the breaking point that he would have decided to deliver one as important as this off the cuff.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
