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

"This is a turning point" for the industry, and companies "are spending a fortune to try to get favourable measures passed in their patch", said Alexandra Iteanu, a Paris-based lawyer specialising in digital law.

From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026

Bill Gates-founded TerraPower started construction this week in Wyoming after Kairos Power broke ground last week in Tennessee, marking a potential turning point for the industry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Adam Liptak have pinpointed a winter night in 2016 as the turning point, when the justices “issued a cryptic, one paragraph ruling” on Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

Dantzler told me that he didn’t see 2005, when greening symptoms first became clear, or 2017, even with Irma, as the turning point.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

The realization that she and the children were not faced immediately with starvation brought a brave smile to her face and marked the turning point in her distress.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Related Words

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