as in crisis
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action
tensions between the two nations had risen to the breaking point
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Recent Examples of breaking point
Iraq was plunged into a nationwide blackout earlier this week, as a temperature surge to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50° Celsius) — and subsequent spiking demand for electricity — pushed the country's faltering power grid to the breaking point.
—
Natasha Turak, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2025
What makes this crisis particularly maddening is that much of the demand driving infrastructure to breaking point shouldn't exist.
—Tomás O’Leary, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Their relationship ends after Audra reaches her breaking point with the Botwins' dangerous behavior.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Next to the Comet, the de Haviland museum displays a section of fuselage that was tested to breaking point.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breaking point
Natasha Turak, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2025
What makes this crisis particularly maddening is that much of the demand driving infrastructure to breaking point shouldn't exist.
—Tomás O’Leary, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Their relationship ends after Audra reaches her breaking point with the Botwins' dangerous behavior.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Next to the Comet, the de Haviland museum displays a section of fuselage that was tested to breaking point.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breaking point
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking point
Noun
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Vietnam's crisis is not yet as severe as Singapore's or some of East Asia's lowest-fertility states, but the trend line is moving in the same direction.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
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Today @FBIDirectorKash was in Cincinnati to announce charges in an operation targeting the fentanyl crisis.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Only, his side of the story suggests that this summer was the boiling point of a longer game, dating back to last summer when contract promises were reneged upon.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
That was the boiling point for the Cowboys.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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Several of President Donald Trump‘s firings of independent agency heads have made their way through the Supreme Court‘s emergency docket, but Tuesday’s ruling in a federal appeals court likely moves the justices closer to overturning a 90-year precedent on the issue.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Abrego Garcia’s case became a flash point in Trump’s immigration crackdown after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March. Venezuelans and immigrants from Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, China and other countries have also been sent to Costa Rica and Panama.—
Juan A. Lozano,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Aug. 2025
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The union will also be looking to address health and pension issues, a flash point ever since thousands of retirees were kicked off the health plan in 2020, as well as protections against artificial intelligence.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking point.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20point. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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