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
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.
I was at Etihad Stadium when these two teams met in November, and it was a real turning point in Leeds' season.
From BBC
Huang said the AI industry had reached a decisive turning point driven by the rise of so-called agentic AI — systems that can take decisions and act autonomously on behalf of humans.
From Barron's
But I'd say a big turning point for me that I remember very well was when I was about four.
From BBC
The trip was widely seen as a turning point in the relationship.
From BBC
"Today's progress marks a turning point, but we are far from the end of the journey."
From Barron's
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.
