turning point
Americannoun
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turning points
plural
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a point at which a decisive change takes place; critical point; crisis.
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a point at which something changes direction, especially a high or low point on a graph.
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Surveying. a point temporarily located and marked in order to establish the elevation or position of a surveying instrument at a new station.
noun
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a moment when the course of events is changed
the turning point of his career
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a point at which there is a change in direction or motion
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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
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surveying a point to which a foresight and a backsight are taken in levelling; change point
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of turning point
First recorded in 1850–55
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.
Artificial intelligence is helping non-specialists unlock the secrets of historical sources, a trend described as a "turning point" in a field previously the preserve of scholars and dedicated hobbyists.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The 26-year-old, who was in between acting jobs and working in a call centre, said the diagnosis was a "massive turning point" in her life.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
About 2.3 billion years ago, Earth experienced the Great Oxidation Event, a major turning point when oxygen became a lasting component of the atmosphere.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
Between 1900 and the end of WWII, in fact, just one major market turning point occurred in October.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Indeed, it might even be said that this small decision of mine constituted something of a key turning point; that that decision set things on an inevitable course towards what eventually happened.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
