turning point

American  

noun

1. a point at which a decisive change takes place; critical point; crisis.

2. a point at which something changes direction, especially a high or low point on a graph.

3. Surveying. a point temporarily located and marked in order to establish the elevation or position of a surveying instrument at a new station.

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turning point British  

noun

1. a moment when the course of events is changed

   the turning point of his career

2. a point at which there is a change in direction or motion

3. maths a stationary point at which the first derivative of a function changes sign, so that typically its graph does not cross a horizontal tangent

4. surveying a point to which a foresight and a backsight are taken in levelling; change point

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Etymology

Origin of turning point

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

However, the appointment of Intel’s current chief executive, Lip Bu-Tan, marked a turning point.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Adam Liptak have pinpointed a winter night in 2016 as the turning point, when the justices “issued a cryptic, one paragraph ruling” on Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

Dantzler told me that he didn’t see 2005, when greening symptoms first became clear, or 2017, even with Irma, as the turning point.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

The end of Britain’s wars coincided with a turning point in the Spanish Empire.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

“I don’t know if that was a turning point, but I’m extremely grateful that I did it.”

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• climax
• critical point
• crux
• culmination
• juncture
• twist