turning point

noun

Definition of turning pointnext
as in milestone
a point in a chain of events at which an important change (as in one's fortunes) occurs the turning point came when Victor finally admitted he was a werewolf

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 turning point On the women’s side, that title belongs to Anna Leigh Waters, and her recent Nike deal signaled a turning point. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026 However, Nike quickly snuffed out optimism of turning point, forecasting China revenue to be down about 20% in its current quarter, which will be reported after the bell on June 30 . — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 10 June 2026 August 23 – September 22 Quiet reflection becomes a practical turning point. — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2026 Virgo August 23 – September 22 Quiet reflection becomes a practical turning point. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 17 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for turning point
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turning point
  1. milestone
  2. climax
  3. watershed
  4. landmark
  5. corner
Noun
  • Stay safe amid dangerous heat All are invited to celebrate America's milestone on the National Mall.
    — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • Chapman allowed back-to-back singles after his milestone strikeout, but got Jo Adell to ground into a double play to secure his 17th save.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Definition of milestone
Noun
  • The short version is that after defeating the Kilrathi at the climax of Wing Commander 3, Mark Hamill’s Christopher Blair retires to a backwater world to live out a life in peace and obscurity.
    — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 3 July 2026
  • Each concert climaxes with Pinkerton’s sword fight against the Rat Reaperess, leading to the singer’s inevitable defeat.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 29 June 2026
Definition of climax
Noun
  • The company is also on track to meet its 2030 goal of returning more water to local watersheds than its data centers consume.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
  • The science that happens outside the wet lab, in the field, the watershed and the population, is the next frontier for a tool like this.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of watershed
Noun
  • Molde’s appeal is not based on a single landmark, but on its position between fjord, coast, islands, and mountains.
    — David Nikel, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • The Supreme Court has released a slew of opinions to mark the end of its current term, and one of them could prove to be a landmark case for personal protections.
    — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 2 July 2026
Definition of landmark
Noun
  • Hernandez, 29, a contractor based in Franklin, about 20 miles south of Nashville, undertook the $380 project with furniture from HomeGoods after seeing his pet spend most of her life tucked away in a little corner.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • Finding this underground hangout might be tricky, but look for the side door on the building at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Reed Street.
    — Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of corner

Browse Nearby Words

turning over
turning point
turning points
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turning point.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turning%20point. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All