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

Meanwhile, policymakers are cautiously weighing whether two months of solid jobs data mark a turning point for a labor market that has slowed since a boom earlier this decade.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

The Ediacaran period occurred before the Cambrian explosion, a major evolutionary turning point when rising oxygen levels helped complex organisms diversify rapidly across Earth's oceans.

From Science Daily • May 12, 2026

Plum’s legacy in Los Angeles will hinge on whether this reset becomes a turning point or just another chapter in a long rebuild.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

In his interview with Barron’s, Fitzsimons highlighted Google’s quantum error correction breakthrough at the end of 2024, which marked a turning point for the industry.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

The deuton affair was a turning point for the Rad Lab.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

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