as in crises
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action
tensions between the two nations had risen to the breaking point
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking points
Noun
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But the war is also having a less visible, yet potentially more consequential, impact on some of the world’s other conflicts and crises.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026 -
The Biden administration extended TPS for Haiti several times because of economic, health and political crises in the wake of the assassination of its president in 2021.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Consider the other teams that, like the Mets, have high expectations and have swiftly reached a crossroads.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Rabat is a cultural crossroads where books help transmit knowledge and the arts in all their diversity.—
Connor Sturges,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The intense temperature and pressure of the impact heated the moon's crust and mantle so much that many of the volatile elements present (volatiles are elements with low boiling points), including potassium, evaporated and escaped into space.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Thermodynamics drives selective recovery The researchers hypothesized that FJH combined with chlorine gas could exploit differences in Gibbs free energy and boiling points to selectively remove non-REE elements from magnet waste.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The event included the greeting of heads of delegation and the traditional family photo, ahead of the start of the leadersâ meeting.—
Armando Regil Velasco,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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Tolle showed off his renowned 99 mph fastball while mixing in an improved arsenal of secondary pitches, and the Yankees couldn’t make heads or tails of him the first time through the order.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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One of the flash points in women’s college basketball history unfolded during the 2021 NCAA tournament, when all teams were quarantined in the same bubble in San Antonio for all rounds during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
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But more potential flash points loom.—
JILL LAWLESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Breaking points.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20points. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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