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

Shadow justice minister Kieran Mullan has called the government's plan "a betrayal of victims", while Labour have accused the Tories of "rank hypocrisy" after they left prisons "at breaking point".

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But stats show an increase in the number of workers reaching breaking point.

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My wife and I had some of our worst arguments ever, almost to the breaking point.

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Lester also recalled a “breaking point” in their relationship where a personal video leaked on YouTube and spread online, with re-posters refusing to take it down.

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His own allies have begun to question whether he is pushing the architecture of French democracy to a breaking point.

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