# moment of truth

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/moment-of-truth
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A deciding instant; the time when a test determines or makes it apparent whether something will succeed.

## Examples

- This is the moment of truth for my driving test.
- The moment of truth arrives when you open your final exam results.
- The team waited in silence as the judge prepared to announce the winner, knowing this was the moment of truth.
- I carefully placed the cake in the oven and realized the moment of truth would come when I tried to take it out of the pan.
- We spent all morning fixing the old engine, and now we face the moment of truth as I turn the key to start the car.
- After months of rigorous preparation and tireless effort, the scientist stood before the data, fully aware that this was the moment of truth for her entire career.

## Origin

A calque of the Spanish *momento de la verdad*, the expression originates in the ritual of the bullfight. It denotes the precise instant of the final sword thrust, a juncture where the encounter is resolved with a single, terminal gesture. The phrase entered English as a direct translation of the Spanish term.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.