tipping point
43
5.3
- noun
- /ˈtɪpɪŋ pɔɪnt/
:
punto de inflexión
- We are rapidly approaching the tipping point, and it will be felt around the world.
- reach a tipping point
- threshold or tipping point
- education at a tipping point
What, you know, was there a tipping point for you finally?
- What, you know, was there a tipping point for you finally?
- At which point I think that's like a tipping point for me.
- First, tipping points are covered in the IPCC report.
- And and then that will be the tipping point.
- And there's a particular tipping point where that becomes very prominent.
- I keep looking for AI, keep looking for a tipping point.
- And it was that that was finally the tipping point.
- I think before you get to a cultural tipping point.
- And ultimately we created a tipping point.
- And actually, that could be a spark or or a tipping point.
- And that expression I do like because it was the tipping point.
- So I wouldn't be surprised that at some point we reached the tipping point.
- And so getting smacked on my bike was kind of just was the tipping point.
Examples
-
On these issues, public opinion remains far from a tipping point.
Academic text (2005) -
With Kenya at what appears to be a tipping point, this article aims to answer these key questions.
Academic text (2009) -
So is there some tipping point that we should watch out for?
-
There are some tipping points that we are likely to hit in the climate.
-
Yes, I believe we're at the tipping point in this moment...
-
Things were reaching a tipping point.
-
Councillors from all political parties are reporting that they're at a tipping point in the provision of social care.
-
If current trends go on and secularism continues its slow but steady growth, a tipping point will eventually be reached.
Academic text (2011) -
Today in 2014, the world has clearly already reached the "tipping point" in favor of dialogue among the religions and ideologies.
Academic text (2014) -
The odds that the global climate will reach a dangerous tipping point are increasing.
Synonyms
118
4.2
The point when something begins or changes into a new state
104
3.7
A moment when an important event changes what happens next
37
3.9
The moment when a person or thing can no longer handle pressure
18
5.5
A moment in a process after which you cannot go back
9
5.3
A moment when people must make an important decision
6
6.3
An event that causes a very important change in a person's life or history
4
7.5
A moment when a situation changes in an important way
3
7.7
A time when a situation can suddenly become violent or very dangerous
2
4.9
A moment when an important change happens or people make a key decision
A time when an important change happens in a story or process
How Critical
Surface Forms
Morphology
tipping + point
The phrase is compositionally built from 'tip' (to tilt or cause to fall) + 'point' (a particular position or moment), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer the idea of the moment when something 'tips over' into a new state. This physical-to-abstract metaphor (threshold leading to change) is cross-linguistically common, making the meaning accessible to B1 learners.
Etymology
Tipping point comes from the image of something balanced that stays steady until one small push makes it tip and reach the point where it falls over. That sudden tip shows how one small event can start a large, often permanent change, so the phrase means 'the critical moment' when things move from one state to another.