defining moment
noun
: the time that shows very clearly what something is really about
That was the campaign's defining moment.
Examples of defining moment in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s not really any defining moment that marks Priscilla's decision to leave Elvis.
—
Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023
The march was a defining moment for Britain as one of the first major displays of anti-nuclear activism and opposition to Britain’s efforts to keep pace with other military powers.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2023
The buyout was seen as a defining moment in Italian and Western European capitalism.
—Eva Rothenberg, CNN, 19 Aug. 2023
What stands out to you at this point as a defining moment or a memorable anecdote from this experience?
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 27 Sep. 2023
As many cancer patients can relate to, a defining moment of the transplant process for Alfa was losing her hair.
—Essence, 25 Sep. 2023
All of this has now left the Biden administration at a defining moment in America’s relationships and role in the Middle East – a region, ironically, that successive administrations have been de-emphasizing in order to focus on Washington’s main rival, China.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Aug. 2023
Ash’s narrative peaks with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989—a defining moment for him, when intellectual engagement, pragmatic politics, and moral legitimacy seemed to converge in a just cause.
—Timothy Garton Ash, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
Whatever happened to Davis after his defining moment?
—Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 24 July 2023
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Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023
The march was a defining moment for Britain as one of the first major displays of anti-nuclear activism and opposition to Britain’s efforts to keep pace with other military powers.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2023
The buyout was seen as a defining moment in Italian and Western European capitalism.
—Eva Rothenberg, CNN, 19 Aug. 2023
What stands out to you at this point as a defining moment or a memorable anecdote from this experience?
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 27 Sep. 2023
As many cancer patients can relate to, a defining moment of the transplant process for Alfa was losing her hair.
—Essence, 25 Sep. 2023
All of this has now left the Biden administration at a defining moment in America’s relationships and role in the Middle East – a region, ironically, that successive administrations have been de-emphasizing in order to focus on Washington’s main rival, China.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Aug. 2023
Ash’s narrative peaks with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989—a defining moment for him, when intellectual engagement, pragmatic politics, and moral legitimacy seemed to converge in a just cause.
—Timothy Garton Ash, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
Whatever happened to Davis after his defining moment?
—Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 24 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defining moment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Defining moment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defining%20moment. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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