critical mass

noun

: a size, number, or amount large enough to produce a particular result
the critical mass of activity needed for a retail store

Examples of critical mass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The White House said Monday that Trump would veto a Senate bill that would mandate congressional approval for new tariffs, a bet that the critical mass of Republican lawmakers will loyally back his taxes on imports despite the economic and political chaos being created. Chris Megerian, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025 Any real renaissance of the Yiddish novel would require a critical mass of native Yiddish speakers and writers, who almost certainly would have to come from ultra-Orthodox enclaves—which is not unimaginable. Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025 In the nineteen-seventies, U.C.L.A.’s Ethno-Communications program, founded to increase minority enrollment, attracted a critical mass of young Black filmmakers. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025 On September 26, 2013, the Cordyceps brain infection reached critical mass, manifesting in all people without discrimination. Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for critical mass

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of critical mass was in 1947

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Cite this Entry

“Critical mass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critical%20mass. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

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