Rubicon

[ roo-bi-kon ]

noun

1. a river in northern Italy flowing east into the Adriatic. 15 miles (24 km) long: crossed by Julius Caesar when he marched against Rome in 49 b.c.
2. Sometimes rubicon. the act that commits someone to a particular course; point of no return:

   Publication serves as a Rubicon for authors, since they will be unable to edit their work afterward.

Rubicon

/ ˈruːbɪkən /

noun

1. a stream in N Italy: in ancient times the boundary between Italy and Cisalpine Gaul. By leading his army across it and marching on Rome in 49 bc , Julius Caesar broke the law that a general might not lead an army out of the province to which he was posted and so committed himself to civil war with the senatorial party
2. sometimes not capital a point of no return
3. a penalty in piquet by which the score of a player who fails to reach 100 points in six hands is added to his opponent's
4. cross the Rubicon or pass the Rubicon
   to commit oneself irrevocably to some course of action

Rubicon

1. A river in northern Italy that Julius Caesar crossed with his army, in violation of the orders of the leaders in Rome , who feared his power. A civil war followed, in which Caesar emerged as ruler of Rome. Caesar is supposed to have said, “The die is cast” (referring to a roll of dice), as he crossed the river.

Notes

“Crossing the Rubicon” is a general expression for taking a dangerous, decisive, and irreversible step.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Rubicon¹

First recorded in 1610–20

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cross / pass the Rubicon, to take a decisive, irrevocable step:

   Our entry into the war made us cross the Rubicon and abandon isolationism forever.

More idioms and phrases containing Rubicon

see cross the rubicon .

Example Sentences

In most cases, this situation would foretell a Rubicon-crossing nightmare.

From FiveThirtyEight

Cruz said the companies “crossed the Rubicon” with their actions.

From Washington Post

My partner, a fellow Iraq veteran and volunteer with the disaster response nonprofit Team Rubicon, chuckled in agreement.

From The Daily Beast

For the military veteran volunteers of Team Rubicon, it was a challenge to meet and an opportunity to serve again.

From The Daily Beast

Team Rubicon, a disaster relief group led by veterans, earned its stripes volunteering during Sandy.

From The Daily Beast

And I personally am set to read Rubicon this weekend, so I hope you'll do the same.

From The Daily Beast

David has previously reviewed Holland's In the Shadow of the Sword, Persian Fire, and Rubicon.

From The Daily Beast

It will be too late for us to go back then, Susan; the die will be cast, the Rubicon crossed, another poor man undone forever.

From Project Gutenberg

Warren quickly vanished among the trees and bowlders, and the Rubicon was crossed.

From Project Gutenberg

Meanwhile, Duplay walked home, the happier for having crossed his Rubicon.

From Project Gutenberg

They had crossed the Rubicon, and felt that there was no return.

From Project Gutenberg

Suppose I believe, for example, "that Caesar crossed the Rubicon."

From Project Gutenberg