critical mass

critical mass
noun
1. the minimum amount (of something) required to start or maintain a venture
-

the battle for the computer market has now reached critical mass

-

there is now a critical mass of successful women to take the lead

-

they sold the business because it lacked critical mass

Hypernyms: ↑amount
2. the minimum mass of fissionable material that can sustain a chain reaction
Hypernyms: ↑mass

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noun, pl ⋯ masses [count, noncount]
1 technical : an amount of material (such as plutonium) that is large enough to allow a nuclear reaction to occur
2 : the size, number, or amount of something that is needed to cause a particular result

Production of the show stopped after complaints from viewers reached (a) critical mass.

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ˌcritical ˈmass [critical mass] noun (physics)
the smallest amount of a substance that is needed for a nuclear ↑chain reaction to take place

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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