break point

American

noun

Tennis.

a situation in which the receiving side, holding the advantage, can win the game by winning the next point.

break point British

noun

tennis a point which allows the receiving player to break the service of the server

"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

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.

The Italian did not face a break point against Medvedev and only lost four points behind his first serve.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

In the other semi-final, Shelton rescued a break point in the 11th game when Shapovalov missed a forehand long as they battled into a deciding tie-breaker.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

Cash and Glasspool missed both their break point opportunities in the third set, largely down to Budkov Kjaer's superb recovery skills.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

They both opened with comfortable holds before a double fault and netted forehand presented the first break point chance for Djokovic at 2-1.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

His break point seemed to have no adequate antecedents.

From Human Error by Jones, Raymond F.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023