turning point

American  

noun

• turning points
  plural

1. a point at which a decisive change takes place; critical point; crisis.

2. a point at which something changes direction, especially a high or low point on a graph.

3. Surveying. a point temporarily located and marked in order to establish the elevation or position of a surveying instrument at a new station.

---

turning point British  

noun

1. a moment when the course of events is changed

   the turning point of his career

2. a point at which there is a change in direction or motion

3. 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

4. surveying a point to which a foresight and a backsight are taken in levelling; change point

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• turning points
  plural

Etymology

Origin of turning point

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

turning point

“This will be a turning point for the field,” said Dan Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific officer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Xiang believes Chinese society is at a "turning point", where people are searching for meaning while making sense of rapid social and economic change.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

The all-electric Semi gives Tesla a way into the autonomous trucking industry, which Morgan Stanley analysts see reaching a turning point in 2027.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

It was a turning point in 21st-century history.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

Saying this, I felt I had raced to the top of a big turning point in my life, a new me after just two weeks of psychotherapy.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

Related Words

• climax
• critical point
• crux
• culmination
• juncture
• twist