How to Use defining moment in a Sentence

defining moment

noun
Definition of defining momentnext
  • The world is at a defining moment in the fight against malaria.
    — Peter Sands, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
  • This game should have been his defining moment in the NFL.
    — Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun, 29 Jan. 2024
  • But the battle for the city has created a defining moment of the war for both the Russian and the Ukrainian armies.
    — Carlotta Gall Daniel Berehulak, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2023
  • This was a defining moment in our journey with Alzheimer’s.
    — Time, 15 July 2023
  • That's how the Queen regarded it; that was the central defining moment of her life.
    — Michael Stillwell, Town & Country, 5 Apr. 2023
  • None of those things happened in the NDP loss, which also proved to be a defining moment in their season.
    — Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2023
  • The 1992 incident became a defining moment in the Irish star’s career—and her life.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 27 July 2023
  • The veil briefly lifts On May 4 — the second and, by most accounts, worst day of fighting — came a defining moment of the Manipur conflict.
    — Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2023
  • Yet neither team's star has lived up to the expectations and had a defining moment.
    — David Hellier, Bloomberg.com, 14 June 2024
  • For young people, turning 20 can be a defining moment, marking the end of their rebellious teenage years and the start of adulthood.
    — Billboard China, Billboard, 21 June 2023
  • His world suddenly turned upside-down, Daniel faces a defining moment in what had till then been a life of freedom.
    — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 17 July 2023
  • Of course, each candidate is hoping to make his own mark and have at least one defining moment to set himself apart from the others.
    — Bill Glauber, Journal Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2023
  • The result, now known as money nails, became a defining moment in the history of hip-hop and beauty.
    — Arabelle Sicardi, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 Aug. 2023
  • The appearance in Cannes could be a defining moment for Depp’s comeback, and the Dior Sauvage deal seems to be timed to coincide with the swell surrounding his return to the big screen.
    — Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 May 2023
  • As many cancer patients can relate to, a defining moment of the transplant process for Alfa was losing her hair.
    — Essence, 25 Sep. 2023
  • More than his work as Spider-Man or in any of the other projects he’s starred in, this is his defining moment, his magnum opus, his contribution to the culture.
    — Vulture, 14 June 2023
  • As an immigrant himself (from Latvia), Andrew Borovsky knows that buying a home can be a defining moment in a person’s life.
    — Alena Botros, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2023
  • What stands out to you at this point as a defining moment or a memorable anecdote from this experience?
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 27 Sep. 2023
  • The move, which won praise from the West and rebuke from Moscow, demonstrated how the Ukraine war has been a defining moment for Turkey’s role on the international stage.
    — Zeena Saifi, CNN, 12 July 2023
  • As the play opens (director Roach has set her production in 1959), the Younger family is facing a defining moment.
    — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2023
  • The premiere, and the film itself, served as the ultimate celebration of one of the defining pop stars of our time, during what was perhaps the defining moment of her career.
    — Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2023
  • The pandemic was a defining moment for Joaquina’s budding career.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 30 Nov. 2023
  • The war in Gaza is a defining moment for many young Americans, one that has deepened their discontent with their own government.
    — USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024
  • All right, Sherrilyn, big picture looking at this term, this was really a defining moment in some case -- in some sense for the Trump court, three Trump justices.
    — ABC News, 2 July 2023
  • For those who reach it (some girls have really tall moms!), this is a defining moment in the mother-daughter relationship.
    — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 12 Dec. 2023
  • Whatever the reasoning, the treatment became a defining moment in his life.
    — Ian Penman, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
  • Smith’s 2022 win was a career-defining moment for a rising star and a popular win for a native of Australia who had adopted Jacksonville as his home away from home.
    — Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2023
  • Monken’s arrival will be a defining moment for several Ravens receivers.
    — Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun, 22 Feb. 2023
  • But choosing an iconic, defining moment is more elusive.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024
  • There’s not really any defining moment that marks Priscilla's decision to leave Elvis.
    — Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defining moment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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