tipping point

American  

noun

1. the point at which an issue, idea, product, etc., crosses a certain threshhold and gains significant momentum, triggered by some minor factor or change.

2. 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.

3. Physics. the point at which an object is no longer balanced, and adding a small amount of weight can cause it to topple.

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tipping point British  

/ ˈtɪpɪŋ /

noun

1. the crisis stage in a process, when a significant change takes place

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Etymology

Origin of tipping point

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

But there is optionality on the dry bulk market getting tighter, and then, eventually, a potential exponential increase in freight rates once it hits a tipping point.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

“The debt limits, the tipping point, are probably lower for developing countries.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Nichols came to California at a tipping point.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

In golf-loving South Korea, the tipping point was reached almost a decade ago as 'screen golf' overtook 'field golf'.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 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