defining moment

American  

noun

1. a point at which the essential nature or character of a person, group, etc., is revealed or identified.

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Etymology

Origin of defining moment

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

"In 2019, during our first field survey in the Hațeg Basin, we almost immediately came across the K2 site. It was a defining moment for us -- we instantly noticed dozens of large, exceptionally well-preserved black dinosaur bones gleaming in the grey clay layers exposed in the streambed. We immediately began our work, and through several years of excavation we collected an extraordinarily rich vertebrate assemblage from the site," explained Gábor Botfalvai, assistant professor at the Department of Paleontology, Eötvös Loránd University, and leader of the research group.

From Science Daily

Head's promotion to open the batting is a defining moment in the outcome of the series.

From BBC

“This is a defining moment for the City of Los Angeles,” Mayor Karen Bass said at a news conference.

From Los Angeles Times

If coach Brendon McCullum believes this Ashes series is the defining moment for this team, now is the time to be defined.

From BBC

Thorburn's maximum was a defining moment for 1983's armchair sports fan, alongside Steve Cram and Daley Thompson winning World Athletics Championship golds in Helsinki.

From BBC