jumping-off place

American  

[juhm-ping-awf, -of] / ˈdʒʌm pɪŋˈɔf, -ˈɒf /

noun

1. a place for use as a starting point.

   Paris was the jumping-off place for our tour of Europe.

2. an out-of-the-way place; the farthest limit of anything settled or civilized.

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jumping-off place British  

noun

1. a starting point, as in an enterprise

2. a final or extreme condition

3. a place where one leaves civilization to go into the wilderness

4. a very remote spot

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Etymology

Origin of jumping-off place

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

Example Sentences

Indeed, her husband, her parents and her career are the foundations of many stories, but “the real jumping-off place of the book is where I was let go from my job,” she explains.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2025

And that was sort of a jumping-off place for discussing what was going to become “Russian Doll.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2019

Romanoff told me in May that the internet is a perfect jumping-off place for a story about growing up: “The question of coming-of-age is the enormous question of ‘how can you be yourself?’

From The Verge • Nov. 7, 2017

The Seattle Chamber of Commerce acted quickly to promote the city as the leading outfitter for miners and jumping-off place for the Klondike, pre-empting Tacoma, Portland, San Francisco and Vancouver, B.C.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 10, 2017

A stone weir slowed the current and was a favorite diving and jumping-off place.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan