Rubicon

noun

Ru·​bi·​con ˈrü-bi-ˌkän 

: a bounding or limiting line

especially : one that when crossed commits a person irrevocably

Did you know?

In 49 B.C., Julius Caesar led his army to the banks of the Rubicon, a small river that marked the boundary between Italy and Gaul. Caesar knew Roman law forbade a general from leading his army out of the province to which he was assigned. By crossing the Rubicon, he would violate that law. "The die is cast," he said, wading in. That act of defiance sparked a three-year civil war that ultimately left Julius Caesar the undisputed ruler of the Roman world. It also inspired English speakers to adopt two popular sayings -crossing the Rubicon and the die is cast-centuries later. Rubicon has been used in English as the name of a significant figurative boundary since at least the early 1600s.

Examples of Rubicon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Heavy metal band Metallica said its nonprofit, the All Within My Hands Foundation, would donate $50,000 each to World Central Kitchen and Team Rubicon to help with first-response efforts for Hurricane Helene. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024

Earlier this week, Dolly Parton also pledged $1 million to relief funds for those affected, while the members of Metallica each dropped $50,000 to the World Central Kitchen and Team Rubicon. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2024

That means that Ford Philanthropy will match up to $100,000 for Team Rubicon, for Red Cross and for Feeding America for a total donation potential of $600,000, Culler said. —Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 4 Oct. 2024

Adam Boehler is the founder and CEO of Rubicon Founders, a healthcare investment firm. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024

Elliott was camping in Rubicon Springs with a group doing trail rehab ahead of an upcoming event dubbed the Jeepers Jamboree when he got lost after going out for a walk, the sheriff's office said. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 24 July 2024

After less than a week, the fleet arrived at the aptly named Marina Rubicon, a popular launching point for Atlantic sailors. —Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024

The estate in Rubicon Bay is available for the first time since it was acquired by Wellington Henderson and his wife Harriet Walker Henderson in the 1960s. —David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 24 June 2024

And like all empires, this gang will experience a rise, a heyday, a Rubicon crossing and a fall. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin Rubicon-, Rubico, river of northern Italy forming part of the boundary between Cisalpine Gaul and Italy whose crossing by Julius Caesar in 49 b.c. was regarded by the Senate as an act of war

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing Rubicon

• crossed the Rubicon
• the Rubicon

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Geographical Definition

Rubicon

geographical name

Ru·​bi·​con ˈrü-bi-ˌkän 

river 15 miles (24 kilometers) long in north central Italy flowing east into the Adriatic Sea