breaking points

noun

plural of breaking point
as in crises
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action tensions between the two nations had risen to the breaking point

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking points
  1. crises
  2. crossroads
  3. boiling points
  4. heads
  5. flash points
Noun
  • Africa's most populous country will hold the election against a backdrop of worsening economic and security crises that have caused anger among voters against Tinubu's government.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The sharp increase in the need for mental health services, along with the wave of police reforms, spurred departments nationwide to find better ways to respond to personal crises.
    — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of crises
Noun
  • By 2004, Michael, Magic and Bird had officially hung up their sneakers, and the NBA was failing during its critical crossroads.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Hilton argued that California is at a crossroads, pointing to residents and businesses moving out of the state.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of crossroads
Noun
  • The intense temperature and pressure of the impact heated the moon's crust and mantle so much that many of the volatile elements present (volatiles are elements with low boiling points), including potassium, evaporated and escaped into space.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Thermodynamics drives selective recovery The researchers hypothesized that FJH combined with chlorine gas could exploit differences in Gibbs free energy and boiling points to selectively remove non-REE elements from magnet waste.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
Definition of boiling points
Noun
  • Their heads are broad and coppery in color, and their eyes have vertical, catlike pupils.
    — Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Given that characterization, Giacometti-heads will likely fork over serious dough for this work, especially given its provenance.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of heads
Noun
  • And it’s been one of the country’s most visible flash points in the race to build new critical-mineral mines.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Kashmir remains one of the world’s most contentious geopolitical flash points.
    — Peter Dziedzic, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
Definition of flash points
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

breaking point
breaking points
breaking the law
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Cite this Entry

“Breaking points.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20points. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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