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
Merryweather gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning in Friday’s comeback win against the Reds, ultimately the breaking point for the Cubs to move on.
—
Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025
Meanwhile, Ava reaches her breaking point at the show.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
Now, she’s hit a breaking point and needs help from her semi-estranged sister, Simone (House of the Dragon breakout Milly Alcock).
—Judy Berman, Time, 22 May 2025
Just a friendly suggestion of a fan of another team who reached his own breaking point with them and has barely looked back since.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for breaking point
Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025
Meanwhile, Ava reaches her breaking point at the show.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
Now, she’s hit a breaking point and needs help from her semi-estranged sister, Simone (House of the Dragon breakout Milly Alcock).
—Judy Berman, Time, 22 May 2025
Just a friendly suggestion of a fan of another team who reached his own breaking point with them and has barely looked back since.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for breaking point
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking point
Noun
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Let this list, which mostly eschews household names, be an antidote to that crisis, surveying 2025’s most notable releases thus far across pop, rock, electronic, rap, and Latin music.—
Jenn Pelly,
Time,
7 June 2025
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Central banks typically limit rate moves to quarter-point changes outside of crises.—
Ryan Patrick Jones,
USA Today,
7 June 2025
Noun
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Tesla shares fell 14% as the tensions reached a boiling point, shedding $152 billion in market cap.—
Sara Salinas,
CNBC,
6 June 2025
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Occasional eruptions of controversy were provoked by oversights – most notably after the death of Joan Rivers – but reached a boiling point last year with the rapid succession of the deaths of actors Maggie Smith, Gavin Creel, Adrian Bailey and Ken Page.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
5 June 2025
Noun
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There's always one shot that leaves a golfer shaking his or her head.—
Mike Hutton,
Post-Tribune,
19 July 2017
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Cal Fire representatives said the current parking mess has already impacted them because the driveway to their station enters the highway not far from the trail head.—
J. Harry Jones,
Ramona Sentinel,
19 July 2017
Noun
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In short, this is a serious flash point for any organization.—
Usman Javaid,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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One of the flash points among Republican conservatives in the House is expected to surface again in the Senate — the bill’s price tag.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking point.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20point. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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