deal breakern.
/ˈdiːl ˌbreɪkə/, U.S. /ˈdil ˌbreɪkər/ During negotiations (esp. in politics or business): a factor or issue which, if unresolved, would cause one party to withdraw from a deal. Also figurative.
ΚΠ
1975 J. C. Freund Anat. of Merger ii. 36 If you are determined to announce that a particular provision is a deal-breaker, by all means select a point that is clearly material—not some trivial side issue.
1979 N.Y. Times 18 Oct. 58/3 I now know how to read a contract. I use phrases like ‘estimated taxes’ and ‘deal breaker’.
1993 Esquire Oct. 154/1 I was connoisseur of the amicus deal-breaker—knowing what friends must do and..what they must never do to remain my friend.
1998 Washington Times (Nexis) 13 Apr. a16 Two of the most important sticking points remain unresolved: the decommissioning of the arms of the Irish Republican Army and the exact powers of the North–South Council, which could be a deal breaker for Northern Ireland's Protestants.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1975