point of no return

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.

point of no return

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of point of no return¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

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.

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How long before this point of no return?

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Dr. Abram added that other critical systems may soon reach a point of no return, including the ice shelves that hold back parts of the Antarctic ice sheet.

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"There are certain moments in politics or governance which are the moments of 'crossing the Rubicon' -- that point of no return," Saliya Pieris, former head of the Bar Association, wrote on Facebook.

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The world's tropical coral reefs have almost certainly crossed a point of no return as oceans warm beyond a level most can survive, a major scientific report announced on Monday.

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