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

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break point

Zverev, the winner of this year’s depleted French Open, had only a single break point on the day, and lost it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

It would come down to rare break point opportunities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

They roared his nickname - "Nole! Nole!" - whenever he went break point down against Sinner.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Having taken a bathroom break before the second set, a re-energised Gauff returned with more aggression, and she eventually found a way past Muchova on her ninth break point with a sublime cross-court backhand winner.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 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