tipping point

noun

: the critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place

Examples of tipping point in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Let’s talk about the trans tipping point. — Grace Byron, New Yorker, 14 June 2026 These past several days have been the tipping point. — Jenna Thompson june 18, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026 For leaders, that load is unmitigated stress and pressure that steadily approaches a tipping point. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Coral reefs, for example, are passing their planetary tipping point, a threshold that, once crossed, leads to large, accelerating, and often irreversible changes. — Simmone Shah, Time, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for tipping point

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tipping point was in 1959

Rhymes for tipping point

See All Rhymes for tipping point

Browse Nearby Words

tippet
tipping point
tipple
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Cite this Entry

“Tipping point.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tipping%20point. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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