turning point
Americannoun
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a point at which a decisive change takes place; critical point; crisis.
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a point at which something changes direction, especially a high or low point on a graph.
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Surveying. a point temporarily located and marked in order to establish the elevation or position of a surveying instrument at a new station.
noun
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a moment when the course of events is changed
the turning point of his career
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a point at which there is a change in direction or motion
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maths a stationary point at which the first derivative of a function changes sign, so that typically its graph does not cross a horizontal tangent
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surveying a point to which a foresight and a backsight are taken in levelling; change point
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of turning point
First recorded in 1850–55
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 called the initial public offering a "turning point in the global storage industry landscape and the development trajectory of China's semiconductor sector".
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
"German football as a whole is facing a turning point, we have to change some fundamental things."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Having $100,000 invested has long been considered a turning point after which your assets start compounding in a faster, more significant way.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Astronomers have reached a major turning point in the search for life beyond Earth by detecting an atmosphere around a rocky, Earth-like planet located in another star's habitable zone.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Indeed, it might even be said that this small decision of mine constituted something of a key turning point; that that decision set things on an inevitable course towards what eventually happened.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
