sticking point
Americannoun
-
a point, detail, or circumstance causing or likely to cause a stalemate or impasse.
The bill would have gone through the Senate quickly but for one sticking point.
noun
Etymology
Origin of sticking point
First recorded in 1820–30
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.
He predicted AI safety coalescing with concerns around the data-center build-out, which is becoming a key sticking point for voters.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
This has been a sticking point in discussions over new children’s online safety legislation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
As AI creeps further into the music industry, copyright remains the sticking point — now on a format that fans seek precisely because a person made it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Talks are ongoing to sign 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, but the French club's £86m asking price appears to be a sticking point.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
But there was one major sticking point: They didn't have enough money to buy gas for the car ride home.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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.
