Thesaurus results for BREAKING POINT

breaking point

noun

Definition of breaking point

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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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.

Recent Examples of breaking point John Furner, the CEO of Walmart, says that even wealthier shoppers are going to the budget grocery chain as high prices stretch family finances to a breaking point. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 8 June 2026 In 1973 the strained relationship between Kemper and his mother reached a breaking point. — Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 June 2026 Hugh Jackman has reportedly reached his breaking point with the ongoing drama surrounding his split from ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 1 June 2026 What's the price increase breaking point for shoppers? — Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 29 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for breaking point

Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking point

Noun

Unlike wealthy nations with the reserves and infrastructure to buffer the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, import-dependent economies are more vulnerable to immediate, cascading supply chain shocks.

— Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
Also in development at Netflix is a drama starring Lizzy Caplan as a crisis PR expert, which is also based on a New York Magazine article.

— Joe Otterson, Variety, 16 July 2026

Definition of crisis

Noun

The boiling point During what’s supposed to be a weekend of feasting, Gigi is eaten up by guilt.

— Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 9 July 2026
Racial tensions were at a boiling point, and the police raid of an after-hours nightclub sparked the flame that led to looting, the destruction of nearly 1,400 buildings, multiple fires and 43 deaths as well as 342 injuries.

— USA Today, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Definition of boiling point

Noun

For this spiritual succession is not merely a religious event, but a critical flash point amid a struggle for influence over a faith practiced by almost 500 million people worldwide.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 July 2026
Shakespeare’s haughty Roman war hero, revered on the battlefield yet reviled by hungry plebeians, becomes the flash point in a young democracy tearing itself apart over power and sacrifice.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of flash point

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“Breaking point.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20point. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of breaking point

noun

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