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

Word History and Origins

Origin of point of no return¹

First recorded in 1940–45

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]

Example Sentences

Other observers, however, predict that momentum has already passed a point of no return and full-scale war is inevitable.

From Los Angeles Times

“This scene is a point of no return. Mariko’s defiance has set her on an unstoppable trajectory that finally allows her to claim the purpose she has been seeking all her life.”

From Los Angeles Times

“He wanted to develop the capital up to the point of no return,” said Yanuar Nugroho, his former deputy chief of staff.

From Los Angeles Times

"It’s the point before the point of no return," he says.

From Salon

It's also regarded as a potential tipping element of the Earth's climate, meaning that a tiny perturbation could push the system to a point of no return.

From Science Daily