tipping point

American  

noun

1. the point at which an issue, idea, product, etc., crosses a certain threshhold and gains significant momentum, triggered by some minor factor or change.

2. the point in a situation at which a minor development precipitates a crisis.

   Every infected person brings us closer to the tipping point, when the outbreak becomes an epidemic.

3. Physics. the point at which an object is no longer balanced, and adding a small amount of weight can cause it to topple.

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tipping point British  

/ ˈtɪpɪŋ /

noun

1. the crisis stage in a process, when a significant change takes place

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Etymology

Origin of tipping point

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tipping point

"This could reflect growing exhaustion with a government that has been in power for a long time. Its failure to deliver on the promises it built its reputation on may have reached a tipping point."

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The researchers also found that a planetary tipping point hundreds of millions of years ago caused the global oxygen distribution to flip.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

The tipping point came when Wrobleski surrendered eight runs to the Nationals in his first major-league start of the 2025 season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

But could the unprecedented decision to cancel Folarin Balogun's red-card suspension for the United States' World Cup last-16 tie against Belgium be the tipping point?

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Some scholars believe we have long since passed a tipping point where the declining marginal return on imprisonment has dipped below zero.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander