sticking point

noun

1. 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.

2. sticking place.

sticking point

noun

1. a problem or point on which agreement cannot be reached, preventing progress from being made

Word History and Origins

Origin of sticking point¹

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

One sticking point has been how a deal would be monitored or overseen.

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U.S. demands that India open up its agricultural market have been a sticking point in negotiations.

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Here are the main sticking points to getting a deal done.

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The future governance of Gaza is also a sticking point.

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Rare earth exports are a key sticking point in the months-long negotiations between Beijing and Washington over trade and tariffs.

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