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
The data will be collected at the point of departure - either at an airport, port or train station - where there will be dedicated booths for scanning fingerprints and taking a photo.
From BBC • Aug. 1, 2025
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
“I want this to be a point of departure for both me and the viewer,” she said.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 20, 2024
As an afterthought, he added, “I think,” above the page, as if to signal his last point of departure from the mainlands of biological and theological thought.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
