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tipping point

American  

noun

  1. the point at which an issue, idea, product, etc., crosses a certain threshhold and gains significant momentum, triggered by some minor factor or change.

  2. the point in a situation at which a minor development precipitates a crisis.

    Every infected person brings us closer to the tipping point, when the outbreak becomes an epidemic.

  3. Physics. the point at which an object is no longer balanced, and adding a small amount of weight can cause it to topple.

tipping point British  
/ ˈtɪpɪŋ /

noun

  1. the crisis stage in a process, when a significant change takes place

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tipping point

First recorded in 1955–60

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.

Tipping point: Time to rethink the service charge?

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2019

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.