point of no return

American  

noun

1. Aviation. the point in a flight at which an aircraft will lack sufficient fuel to return to its starting point.

2. the critical point in an undertaking, decision-making process, etc., where one has committed oneself irrevocably to a course of action or policy.

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point of no return British  

noun

1. a point at which an irreversible commitment must be made to an action, progression, etc

2. a point in a journey at which, if one continues, supplies will be insufficient for a return to the starting place

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point of no return Idioms  

1. The place in a course of action beyond which reversal is not possible. For example, Once the contract is signed, we've reached the point of no return. This expression comes from aviation, where it signifies the point where an aircraft does not have enough fuel to return to the starting point. [c. 1940]

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Etymology

Origin of point of no return

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

point of no return

Nickolay Mladenov warned that a collapse of last October's ceasefire would be "a point of no return" for the region.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

The high representative for Gaza in US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace warned Wednesday of a "point of no return" if the Israel-Hamas ceasefire breaks down.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Eatherly is now well past that point of no return.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

You don’t need to be rich to burn the road behind you to the point of no return, just confident enough to keep barreling forward.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

He also knew that injecting the seawater was their only hope of keeping the chain reaction in unit 1 from reaching a point of no return, and that every minute counted.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland