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View synonyms for point of no return

point of no return

noun

  1. Aviation. the point in a flight at which an aircraft will lack sufficient fuel to return to its starting point.
  2. the critical point in an undertaking, decision-making process, etc., where one has committed oneself irrevocably to a course of action or policy.


point of no return

noun

  1. a point at which an irreversible commitment must be made to an action, progression, etc
  2. a point in a journey at which, if one continues, supplies will be insufficient for a return to the starting place
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of point of no return1

First recorded in 1940–45
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Idioms and Phrases

The place in a course of action beyond which reversal is not possible. For example, Once the contract is signed, we've reached the point of no return . This expression comes from aviation, where it signifies the point where an aircraft does not have enough fuel to return to the starting point. [c. 1940]
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Example Sentences

As they advanced, they seemed to realize that they had passed a point-of-no-return.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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