breaking point

noun

1. the point at which a person, object, structure, etc., collapses under stress.

2. the point at which a situation or condition becomes critical.

breaking point

noun

1. the point at which something or someone gives way under strain

2. the moment of crisis in a situation

Word History and Origins

Origin of breaking point¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

"I think, from what he's told me, he just reached breaking point with it," she said.

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The SNA, always stretched thin, has been pushed to breaking point, say analysts.

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“What the study of history tells you is that we’ve always been divided,” Burns explained, allowing that every time we’ve arrived at a breaking point, it feels new.

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Stokes was superb in the series against India in the home summer, only to push himself to breaking point.

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At first, Colombia absorbed the bulk of the migrants, but eight million Venezuelans were on the move, and Colombia stretched its resources to the breaking point to care for three million of them.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal