point of no return

noun phrase

1
: the point in the flight of an aircraft beyond which the remaining fuel will be insufficient for a return to the starting point with the result that the craft must proceed
2
: a critical point at which turning back or reversal is not possible

Examples of point of no return in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Whether the health behavior in question is smoking cessation or physical activity, human beings who commit to the process of change will typically arrive at a point of no return. Matt Parrott, arkansasonline.com, 19 Jan. 2025 Editors’ Picks The Justice Department’s lawyers described Friday’s hearing as a point of no return. Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025 The season finale once again takes various characters to a seeming point of no return, and in a way that plays smartly in conversation with events from the end of Season One. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2025 Three decades of water damage nearly did Michigan Central in, as consensus seems to be the structural integrity was nearing the point of no return when Ford purchased it in May 2018. Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for point of no return 

Word History

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of point of no return was in 1941

Dictionary Entries Near point of no return

Cite this Entry

“Point of no return.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/point%20of%20no%20return. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

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