breaking point
Americannoun
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breaking points
plural
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the point at which a person, object, structure, etc., collapses under stress.
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the point at which a situation or condition becomes critical.
noun
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the point at which something or someone gives way under strain
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the moment of crisis in a situation
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of breaking point
First recorded in 1895–1900
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.
Investors are treating this week’s Federal Reserve meeting like a potential breaking point for the bull market.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
As the company grew to about 800 employees across 50 countries, it felt like it had reached the breaking point other companies hit when they outgrow a meeting room, said head of operations Victoria Weller.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
What we saw onscreen, along with the catchy music she made, was, in her telling, the fruit of a creative yield achieved by pressing beyond her breaking point.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
But many say they feel their country's relationship with the US has hit a breaking point, and that it would take a lot for them to return, if at all.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
But he could not be unaware that Lawrence’s program would once again strain the university’s resources beyond the breaking point.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions 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.
