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View synonyms for point of no return
point of no return
noun
- Aviation. the point in a flight at which an aircraft will lack sufficient fuel to return to its starting point.
- 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
- a point at which an irreversible commitment must be made to an action, progression, etc
- a point in a journey at which, if one continues, supplies will be insufficient for a return to the starting place
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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]Discover More
Example Sentences
As they advanced, they seemed to realize that they had passed a point-of-no-return.
From Project Gutenberg
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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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