point of departure
Americannoun
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Nautical. the precise location of a vessel, established in order to set a course, especially in beginning a voyage in open water.
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a place to begin, as in a discussion, argument, etc.
Etymology
Origin of point of departure
First recorded in 1855–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One final point of departure for Papic: he disagrees vehemently with the notion that the intervention in Venezuela is bearish for oil prices.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 13, 2026
Let’s finally acknowledge how much we don’t know, and from that new point of departure, do everything we can to save our home.
From Salon • May 1, 2025
This comes back to Brooks’s original point of departure: the act of decomposing, or a whale fall.
From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024
In January, a 737 Max 9 was forced to return to its point of departure in Portland, Oregon, making an emergency landing after a door panel blew out in mid-air.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2024
Before the bus had run another fifty yards on the highway, its destination would be meaningless, and its point of departure changed from metropolis to junkyard.
From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
