tipping point
noun
: the critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Maybe halfway through the evening, the telecast was at a tipping point: The first 90 minutes of the show were a mixed bag. 
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2022 Organizations can avoid this tipping point by reevaluating, rationalizing, and consolidating their technology resources. Jeff Pedowitz, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2021 Scientists warn that the forest, seen as vital to averting catastrophic global warming, is at a tipping point. Terrence Mccoy, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022 Recent research shows that climate change and widespread deforestation are pushing the rainforest to a tipping point that could destroy its ability to recover from such damage. New York Times, 2 Aug. 2022 Scientists aren’t exactly sure how much damage is too much, but the new study estimates that almost a quarter of forests have passed their tipping point and are continuing to lose resilience. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2022 Or maybe the sight of a ripped, shirtless man sprinting through a forest and narrowly avoiding a midair collision between an angry wolf and an even angrier tiger is your investment tipping point. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 June 2022 But her cousin reached her tipping point about halfway through the 6-week-long camp. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 May 2022 Now, as the market teeters on its tipping point, those final remnants are giving way to bearishness - and the fear of what comes next. John S. Tobey, Forbes, 27 Apr. 2022 See More
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2022 Organizations can avoid this tipping point by reevaluating, rationalizing, and consolidating their technology resources. Jeff Pedowitz, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2021 Scientists warn that the forest, seen as vital to averting catastrophic global warming, is at a tipping point. Terrence Mccoy, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022 Recent research shows that climate change and widespread deforestation are pushing the rainforest to a tipping point that could destroy its ability to recover from such damage. New York Times, 2 Aug. 2022 Scientists aren’t exactly sure how much damage is too much, but the new study estimates that almost a quarter of forests have passed their tipping point and are continuing to lose resilience. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2022 Or maybe the sight of a ripped, shirtless man sprinting through a forest and narrowly avoiding a midair collision between an angry wolf and an even angrier tiger is your investment tipping point. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 June 2022 But her cousin reached her tipping point about halfway through the 6-week-long camp. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 May 2022 Now, as the market teeters on its tipping point, those final remnants are giving way to bearishness - and the fear of what comes next. John S. Tobey, Forbes, 27 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1959, in the meaning defined above