juncture

American  

[juhngk-cher] / ˈdʒʌŋk tʃər /

noun

• junctures
  plural

1. a point of time, especially one made critical or important by a concurrence of circumstances.

   At this juncture, we must decide whether to stay or to walk out.

2. a serious state of affairs; crisis.

   The matter has reached a juncture and a decision must be made.

3. the line or point at which two bodies are joined; joint or articulation; seam.

4. the act of joining.

5. the state of being joined.

6. something by which two things are joined.

7. Phonetics.

   1. a pause or other phonological feature or modification of a feature, as the lengthening of a preceding phoneme or the strengthening of a following one, marking a transition or break between sounds, especially marking the phonological boundary of a word, clause, or sentence: it is present in such words as night-rate and re-seed and absent in such words as nitrate and recede.

   2. the point in a word or group of words at which such a pause or other junctural marker occurs.

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juncture British  

/ ˈdʒʌŋktʃə /

noun

1. a point in time, esp a critical one (often in the phrase at this juncture )

2. linguistics

   1. a pause in speech or a feature of pronunciation that introduces, accompanies, or replaces a pause

   2. the set of phonological features signalling a division between words, such as those that distinguish a name from an aim

3. a less common word for junction

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juncture Idioms  

1. see at this point (juncture).

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Synonym Usage

See junction.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• junctures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of juncture

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin junctūra, equivalent to junct(us) ( see junction) + -ūra -ure

Explanation

A juncture is a crucial point in time when a decision must be made. At this juncture, a president might say, the government must decide whether to go ahead with war or to try to solve things diplomatically. A juncture is a joint or connection between two things. Originally used in the physical sense, it has broadened in meaning to refer to an often urgent decision-making crossroads. At some point you and your partner will reach a critical juncture and have to decide whether to get serious or break up. It can also simply mean "point in time." She had never learned how to drive and, at this juncture, she knew she never would.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

juncture junctures

Given the “Anything But Bonds” theme, Hartnett’s strategy note has often explored in recent times, and the current deterioration in bond yields, buying fixed-income would definitely be a contrarian call at this juncture.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

The takeover offer puts pressure on a business facing a critical juncture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Hitchcock knew that the suspense must be maintained at every juncture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Yet this is clearly a delicate juncture in his career as he approaches his 29th birthday.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

He knew he was making a complete ass out of himself but had no idea how to organize a retreat at this juncture of the conversation.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

"We've spent the last 20 years reviewing the evidence at various junctures, as science improves," he said.

From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2025

For the Niners, they’re approaching a couple of crucial junctures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025

I’m a hospice physician, and it’s at junctures like this that I can offer a life vest that completely changes the end-of-life experience.

From Slate ● Apr. 22, 2025

They plan for him to succeed or fail at certain junctures but don’t fully take into account what he’s wired to question along the way.

From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025

But some, those occurring at critical junctures or branch points, may change the pattern of history.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• crossroad