tipping point
Americannoun
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the point at which an issue, idea, product, etc., crosses a certain threshhold and gains significant momentum, triggered by some minor factor or change.
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the point in a situation at which a minor development precipitates a crisis.
Every infected person brings us closer to the tipping point, when the outbreak becomes an epidemic.
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Physics. the point at which an object is no longer balanced, and adding a small amount of weight can cause it to topple.
noun
Etymology
Origin of tipping point
First recorded in 1955–60
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.
Councillors of all parties and backgrounds have reported a significant increase in the abuse they have faced both in person and online, with last week's English local elections a tipping point for many.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
The continued closure is pushing the market toward a tipping point, Hamad Hussain of Capital Economics says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
While often viewed as the true tipping point for the technology, focusing solely on this milestone risks overlooking the incremental progress made along the way.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
“It really came to a tipping point when Gen. George was dismissed.”
From Salon • May 1, 2026
Some scholars believe we have long since passed a tipping point where the declining marginal return on imprisonment has dipped below zero.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
