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

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break point

It was with a sublime backhand winner that Musetti took charge of the second set on his first break point opportunity, before withstanding four break points to hold for a 5-2 lead.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

The 2024 US Open semi-finalist appeared frustrated in the fourth game when he passed up a gift of a break point, firing a tired forehand into the net.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Jodar fought off two more match points before earning a break point that Fritz saved with another forehand winner.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

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

His break point seemed to have no adequate antecedents.

From Human Error by Raymond F. Jones

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