breaking point

noun

Definition of breaking pointnext
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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Example Sentences

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 What’s compounding the urgency to change is the devastating timing— aid cuts are hitting just as global hunger reaches unprecedented levels, stretching resources to the breaking point. — Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 As with the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movements, such a dispute could very well drive the U.S. to the breaking point. — Claire B. Wofford, The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2025 The financial cost of caregiving is rising, but the emotional burden is taking such a heavy emotional toll that parents are being pushed to the breaking point, according to a recent survey from Care.com. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 2 Feb. 2025 Shut inside her New Jersey home, Mckinney hit a breaking point. — Leah Asmelash, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for breaking point
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking point
  1. crisis
  2. boiling point
  3. head
  4. flash point
Noun
  • This definitional crisis echoes previous technology buzzwords that became diluted through overuse and marketing hype.
    — Luis E. Romero, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Sims said another valuable discovery was better communicating to the public that information during a public health crisis can change rapidly.
    — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of crisis
Noun
  • In previous seasons, the tension rises in each episode, with secrets uncovered and questions raised, before things ultimately hit a boiling point in the series finale, which has been known to be explosive.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
  • According to sources, contenders to succeed Demna at Balenciaga could include Pieter Mulier, who has heated up Alaïa to the boiling point, and Daniel Roseberry, so far the most successful creative director at Schiaparelli, having led the couture house into ready-to-wear.
    — Miles Socha, WWD, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of boiling point
Noun
  • Delimitros said one of the truck’s side view mirrors struck her in the head, causing minor injuries.
    — David Hernandez, sandiegouniontribune.com, 19 July 2017
  • 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
Definition of head
Noun
  • Maritime flash points Besides Taiwan, the U.S. and China remain fundamentally at odds over the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely as its own despite an opposing 2016 international court ruling.
    — Brad Dress, The Hill, 7 Jan. 2025
  • The report identified specific flash points, including cross-border water tensions, and said some countries could experience instability, including from straining food and energy systems.
    — Somini Sengupta, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
Definition of flash point

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Cite this Entry

“Breaking point.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20point. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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