defining moment

American  

noun

1. a point at which the essential nature or character of a person, group, etc., is revealed or identified.

---

Etymology

Origin of defining moment

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

This was the defining moment in the correspondence.

From Literature

Each of them knew that a defining moment in his life was nearly at hand; none wanted to waste it.

From Literature

My time in Brooklyn had become a defining moment for me.

From Literature

At a defining moment in American history, slavery not only continued, it was granted the Constitution’s official blessing.

From Literature

What was really just a theatrical side show was now being enshrined in memory as the defining moment in the revolutionary drama.

From Literature