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Definitions

turning point

NOUN
critical juncture
Synonyms
STRONGEST
climax critical point crux culmination juncture twist
WEAK
axis change climacteric contingency crisis critical mass critical moment critical period crossing crossroads crucial moment crucial occurrence crucial period crunch cusp decisive moment defining moment development emergency exigency high noon hinge kairotic moment moment of truth nexus pass peak peripeteia pinch pivot pivotal moment point of no return race against time rising action shift strait transition turn of the tide when push comes to shove zero hour

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Adam Liptak have pinpointed a winter night in 2016 as the turning point, when the justices “issued a cryptic, one paragraph ruling” on Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

Still, researchers say the results mark a turning point for a disease that has long had few answers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

Epstein campaigners across the political spectrum have voiced their hopes that the change at the top of the DOJ could be a turning point in the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein saga.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

The discovery of a dense network of domain walls throughout perovskites proved to be a turning point.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

That speech turned an equivocal, a provisional victory on the field of battle—thanks to the alchemic power of Lincoln’s words—into a turning point in the history of American liberty.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith