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Glite Dictionary
no turning back

no turning back

31 4.8
A point after which you cannot go back or undo a decision
  • idiom
translation icon : punto de no retorno
  • There would be no turning back now.

I already made that commitment and there was no turning back in my mind.

Examples

  • Times have changed, and hopefully, there is no turning back to those dark days.

    Blog text (26)

  • It is the point beyond which there is no turning back.

    Legends of Flight (2010)

  • I already made that commitment and there was no turning back in my mind.

    Shawn Ryan Show

  • For he knew there was no turning back.

    Argylle (2024)

  • After this, there is no turning back.

    47 Ronin (2013)

  • You go down that road, there is no turning back.

    Slashers (2001)

  • But once we started, we knew there was no turning back.

    Election (1999)

  • Clearly, we have arrived at a point at which there is no turning back.

    Academic text (2001)

  • But once you begin, there's no turning back.

    Exitz (2007)

  • Once you make that choice, there is no turning back and you must see it through.

Synonyms

irreversible
vsno turning back
46 6.0

Not able to be changed back to how it was

is a phrase used to signal a decision point rather than a static state
point of no return
vsno turning back
18 5.5

A moment in a process after which you cannot go back

is an expression used to warn that a choice cannot be undone
Rubicon
vsno turning back
  • Informal
9.8

A point of no return when a decision cannot be changed

is broader and focuses on inability to reverse an action rather than commitment

Antonyms

retreat
93 4.4

A move back from a place to escape danger

reversal
25 4.2

A change to the opposite direction or position, for example when wind turns

How Final

irreversible
46 6.0
no turning back
31 4.8
final
∞ 1.0
committed
79 4.0
tentative
57 5.1
reversible
14 3.9

Surface Forms

no turning back singular
no turnings back plural

Morphology

no + turning + back

The meaning 'a point beyond which a decision or action cannot be reversed' is directly derivable from combining 'turning back' (reversing direction) with 'no' denying that possibility. This spatial/motion metaphor and the 'no + gerund' pattern are cross-linguistically common and follow standard English composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should understand it.

Etymology

No turning back comes from the image of crossing a road or bridge after which the way is closed or burned, so you really cannot turn back. That's why the phrase means a decision or action 'cannot be reversed' and you must keep going.