point of no return
The term "point of no return" originated in aviation and has since been adopted in various contexts to indicate a critical juncture where reversal is no longer possible.
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Definition
C1Aviation
(technical)The stage in a flight where an aircraft lacks sufficient fuel to return to its origin and must proceed to its destination or an alternate airfield.
Example
- Once the plane passed the point of no return, it had to continue to its destination.
B2General
(figurative)A critical stage in a process where reversing or stopping is impossible or impractical.
Example
- After signing the contract, we reached the point of no return in our negotiations.
- When the project hit the point of no return, we had to push forward despite the challenges.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "point of no return":
breaking pointturning pointtipping pointbeyond redemptionpoint of departurecritical point