turning point

American  

noun

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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of turning point

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Last week’s gyrations may or may not mark a true turning point, but stocks look primed for a shift from what’s worked lately to what hasn’t.

From The Wall Street Journal

The government is launching a 10-year plan to transform school and college buildings, which Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has called a "turning point".

From BBC

For further insight, I contacted Hayes Martin, president of the advisory firm Market Extremes and one of the few stock-market experts I turn to for insight on the stock market’s major turning points.

From MarketWatch

“We may have come to a bit of a turning point with less of a propensity for speculators to sell the yen,” he says.

From Barron's

“We may have come to a bit of a turning point with less of a propensity for speculators to sell the yen,” he says.

From Barron's

Related Words

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